


Broken Reflection

by Xejis



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Human Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama, Typical Canon Violence, alternate team 7
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2018-11-06 13:10:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 131,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11036847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xejis/pseuds/Xejis
Summary: In his attempt to protect his wife during her pregnancy, Minato accidentally created twins. Unknowingly giving the nine tailed fox, Kurama, a human body. Now the old fox must struggle beside his new brother, Naruto, as they become Shinobi of Konoha.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I just got an account here and will be uploading what I have on Fanfiction.net currently. Once everything is uploaded I'll update them at the same time as my fics on FF. I had just been on here more often reading stories and what not, so I figured I might as well get an account and explore how this site works. Any advice is welcome, I'm a total newbie here so there might be some formatting issues until I get the hang of things. This HTML business is giving me middle school flashbacks, lol.

The cage was always too small. The seals on its bars burned. Kurama curled up as tight as he could, away from those seals.

Within the darkness, that permeated his cage.

All he could do was hate.

Hate the man who managed to control him.

Hate the other who took it upon himself to deem Kurama too 'dangerous', as if he was an animal to be tamed.

_'Regrettably, I cannot let you run loose.'_

Hate the woman who never questioned, never bothered to think of him as a living, thinking individual.

He hated the fact that he had broken down in front of her. Hated how she never batted an eyelash.

 _'Please stay quiet_ inside _me.'_

Hate the child who took after her predecessor.

Her chains burned just as much as the bars and she never hesitated to use them against him…

_'…but I'm here to watch you.'_

Hate himself for getting into that situation, for not keeping his siblings together; safe.

He hated his cold, damp cage. He hated the silence. He hated the fact that he could hear bits and pieces of his captor's lives.

He hated their happiness.

Hate.

That was all he could do in the small, dark cage with bars that burned and silence that stretched. He had tried, in the beginning, to dive into his memories. Tried to think about the happier times, but it grew too painful. It reminded him of what he had lost. What he might never have again.

The warmth of the sun.

The gentle touch of the moon.

The breeze that carried a variety of scents.

His siblings.

Hagoromo…

Even the humans and their odd ways that had always fascinated him.

So, he hated.

That was much easier…

And less painful.

*

He knew he must have looked like a very strange child to the people around him, but he didn't know how a human child was supposed to act. He spent most of his infancy and early childhood quietly marveling at being out of his seal.

He couldn't get over the ability to breathe fresh, real, air once more.

He would lay there, as an infant, for long periods of time simply breathing, reveling in the feeling of a small breeze on his skin and air in his lungs.

He left the crying and screaming to his brother.

He shifted on the stool, reaching up with his tiny human hands to poke his own pale cheek. They didn't have the whisker marks that his brother had, but his hair was a deep burnt orange. Like his fur had been and definitely not a trait given to him by either of his…parents.

He did, however, have his…mother's dark blue almost purple eyes. Though the pupils were more like his original eyes and there were occasionally flecks of red, especially when he was angry. His chakra was also the same reddish-orange.

He sighed.

He would have to be careful with how acted now that they were starting the Academy. The village, of course, was under the impression that at least one of the Uzumaki twins was the Kyuubi in disguise. Which one, varied from person to person, day to day. The Hokage, however, didn't seem to be worried about the possibility, so he wanted to make sure that thought remained a silly notion taken up by the naive civilians.

He could pass off his physical traits and even his chakra as a side effect of holding half of the 'Kyuubi's' sealed chakra inside him. Naruto definitely had his own quirks that Kurama knew were a result of the other half of his chakra, sealed though it may be, within the boy.

However, he would have to watch his actions and words.

Shinobi were an irritatingly observant bunch and most of them were already on high alert around his brother and him. He need not give them anything more to watch. Hopefully, he could pass as some sort of prodigy. That would give him another option to blame any other oddities or even his own knowledge and skills. Konoha was known for them and he had heard that his…father had been considered one. Even if the man did, somehow manage to mess up the seal enough during his wife's pregnancy to force the creation of another child with Kurama's consciousness…

He sighed again and ran his hand through his messy hair trying to push his irritation to the side for the moment.

Speaking of messy hair…

He eyed his orange mane tiredly.

His hair seemed to be stubbornly untamable even after he had grown it passed his shoulders. Naruto always laughed at his attempts to flatten the skyward locks while he scowled in annoyance. Someday, it would be long enough for a neat braid and that would be the end of it, but today he put it up in the neatest bun he could manage and left it be.

Naruto would be banging on the door any minute, wanting to leave early for the Academy.

The child was insanely excited for their first day and would not shut-up about it. He jumped off the stool and exited the bathroom. He found Naruto trying on different outfits and striking ridiculous poses in front of their full-length mirror. He rolled his eyes at the other boy.

"Naruto, you are not going to wear bright red with that ridiculous orange jacket."

"Awe, but it matches your hair Natsuki!" The blond boy laughed, but obediently unwrapped the scarf from his neck.

His eye twitched in irritation, but he was already used to his twin's strange obsession with the color orange, despite Kurama's numerous attempts to stamp it out of him. His hair (and fur) were one thing. They were darker that the blinding shade Naruto seemed to love. After fussing over his, technically, older brother he managed to get the other boy into a simple white shirt with the Uzumaki symbol on it and blue shorts. He, himself was wearing a dark gray long sleeve shirt and a pair of long white shorts.

He preferred more traditional clothing, but he knew that would be strange for a child and let it go.

Outside their room they found the Hokage sitting on the couch sipping some tea. Kurama glanced at their shabby table and found breakfast already made, but the woman who usually cooked for them absent.

They had been given this apartment a year ago, on their fifth birthday, when it became clear that the orphanage was a toxic place for them to live. It wasn't very large and all of their furniture was old and worn, but both of them loved it. They were expected to pick up their things, but there was a woman who did the deep cleaning and cooked their meals. She wasn't very nice and spit insults at them whenever they crossed paths, but she did her job well so Kurama never went to the Hokage about it.

He wondered if the old man noticed her attitude and sent her away, but decided it wasn't all that important. He was six now and was fully capable of cooking as long as he had instructions and ingredients.

He'd mention it to the old man later.

For now, he simply greeted him with a smile and bow and started his breakfast.

He had grown slightly fond of the old Shinobi over the years. Despite being too busy to be a constant presence in their life, he did try to reach out to them and always listened to Kurama's complaints about the villagers. He even almost made a store clerk pee his pants when Kurama told him he was refusing to allow the twins to buy new clothes when their old ones had started to become worn. No other business had refused to serve them from that point forward, though Kurama still kept an eye out for tampered food whenever they went out to eat, just in case.

He smiled at his brother as the boy gobbled down his food while continuing to ramble between bits. He wasn't sure how his twin hadn't managed to choke as of yet.

"….I'm going to be Hokage!..."

Kurama rolled his eyes. Despite liking the old man he knew that being the leader of a Shinobi village left him far from being a saint. He had been dropping subtle hints since they three about becoming Shinobi. Even the apartment they were in had a magnificent view of the Hokage Rock, which could not be coincidental.

Kurama didn't blame him. There was no point, after all, to have a couple of 'jinchuuriki' if they weren't going to be trained as weapons. However, the old man wanted it to be their 'choice' so he hinted and pushed for it, but never outright ordered them. Naruto fell for it and Kurama saw no reason to try and refuse. It would only draw attention to himself and leave Naruto vulnerable.

"What is your dream Natsuki?" The old man's voice cut through his thoughts and Kurama blinked slowly.

He tilted his head as his brother fell silent and looked at him expectantly. He didn't think of the future very often. It depressed him, most of the time, to think about how much time it would take to get stronger. Glancing at his brother, he sent a mischievous smirk at the Hokage.

"I suppose I should become an Anbu guard if only to protect my doofus twin brother when he becomes the Hokage."

Naruto spat out his food spluttering in indignation as the Hokage chuckled.

"You got it mixed up, Natsu! I'm the big brother! I'm supposed to protect you!"

Kurama merely raised an eyebrow at him. He had made it very clear that a whole two minutes was not very impressive in the long run. The Hokage cut in, preventing another one-sided argument.

"Well, it looks like we should get going, you two. It is your fist day at the Shinobi Academy, after all."

Naruto's sour mood changed to ecstatic within a moment at the reminder. Kurama shook his head as the boy jump out of his seat and ran to the door. He put their plates away before following at a slower pace. The walk to the Academy wasn't very long and with the two of them holding the Hokages hands they didn't get as many glares as they normally would.

The Academy courtyard was packed with students and their parents. The civilians clumped together on one side, muttering nervously and probably already regretting letting their child attend. The clan members, on the other hand, mingled and chatted lightly with one another. Well, except for the Hyuuga and Uchiha. They simply stood to the side eyeing the crowd with contempt.

For two clans who were constantly at odds, they had very similar mannerisms.

He eyed the large amount of children entering this year and suddenly understood why the Hokage decided to walk them here himself. He wanted to make a point. Kurama, or rather Natsuki and Naruto were under his care and he would not tolerate shenanigans from either parents or instructors. Kurama smiled faintly, appreciating the old man's effort.

He patted them on the head as he smiled in a grandfatherly way. "Be good, boys. Look after each other and listen to your instructors. I'm sure one day, you'll be able to achieve your goals."

Naruto grinned and waved frantically as the man walked away. The instructors called for them to enter the building. He then proceeded to drag Kurama into the building after their new chunin instructor.

Their first day went as well as one would expect with a classroom full of six-year-olds, even if most of them were clan children. Introductions were made and their instructor, Daichi-sensei, began with the history of Konoha. Needless to say, the young man had to work hard in order to keep the classes attention. Kurama found it all very amusing and refrained from keeping Naruto in place.

Perhaps, if the green-eyed man hadn't muttered their names with the utmost contempt when he was calling roll, he would have taken pity on him. As it stood, however, he simply sat back and smiled as the teacher struggled under Naruto's rapid and ridiculous questions about shinobi.

He'd have to keep an eye on him, but for now, he laughed softly with the rest of the class when Naruto asked about rescuing princesses for the fifth time.

He glanced around the room subtly taking note of all the clan children. He supposed he should have expected it. Konoha had enjoyed peace for many years now, 'Kyuubi' attack aside, and the economy was booming. He eyed the clan children thoughtfully. While all of the children had undoubtedly been warned about them, the clan children would have a bit more power in their punches should any violence break out. Which would, of course, be unfortunate considering his and Naruto's lack of training. Brawling was one thing, taijutsu battles were another.

As annoying as it was, he had known he couldn't try and train until they had gotten into the academy. It would be too odd for a 'kid' to start practicing moves he should have never seen before. Especially a 'kid' who was supposed to house half of the 'Kyuubi'.

Not that he had ever had much experience fighting in a human form, being an enormous being make of chakra. However, one did not fight dangerous Shinobi without picking up a few tricks. Even a giant nine tailed fox. Now that he was in the academy he could pass off practicing fairly common moves by pretending he saw one of the instructors or students perform it. He was sure Naruto would be thrilled to join in as well. Their experience with fighting had, after all, been primarily limited to them trying to defend themselves from bigger opponents before their Anbu guards arrived if it was serious.

His gaze stopped momentarily on a few familiar faces he had seen around the parks and the market. Making note of the ones that might cause trouble in the future. He watched the major clans for any negativity and found them mostly neutral. The Hyuuga especially looked as though she couldn't hate anything more than a few seconds.

That was a good thing. He didn't want to make enemies with the Hyuuga. The Uchiha, on the other hand…

His gaze unconsciously slipped towards the spiky dark hair of their Uchiha classmate.

The small black haired boy giggled at every one of the bad jokes Naruto cracked between his questions. Whatever his father must have told him about them apparently didn't stick because there wasn't lingering wariness in his innocent eyes. When the boys gaze turned on him, Kurama immediately looked at his lap where his hands were clenched into fists.

Lingering memories of losing control evaded his consciousness.

He could feel the familiar burning in his stomach.

He _hated_ the Uchiha.

While most of his rage and pride had cooled during his time as a useless infant, it was very hard to feel superior when a nurse had to wipe your butt every few hours, his hatred for the Uchiha hadn't waned in the slightest. Even thinking the name Madara Uchiha sent a shiver of disgust through him.

He looked up, once he had gotten his anger under control only to find the Uchiha's eyes still on him.

Confused and slightly worried.

Kurama sighed.

He hated the Uchiha, yes, but most of that hate rested on Madara. He couldn't continue to take it out on his new classmate. It wasn't necessary and would cause too much attention to be drawn to himself. He smiled faintly at the other boy, ignoring the twisting in his gut.

He received a blinding smile in return.

He made a show of turning his attention back to Naruto in order to keep himself from scowling. He hoped the child didn't notice his deliberate avoidance of eye contact...

He really hated the Uchiha's.

Class ended soon after that and it was Kurama's turn to drag his brother. A group of civilian kids had gotten together at some point and were shooting looks at them that Kurama didn't like.

He didn't want his brother's good day ruined by a bunch of children.

Instead, they played together at the park for a while, ignoring all of the glares and muttered insults with practiced ease, before heading home for dinner. They were greeted by the scowling face of the brunette who cooked for them. Naruto cringed back briefly before squaring his shoulders and stepping in front of Kurama slightly.

He took his older brother status very seriously.

"I won't come back after today." The woman snapped. "You little monsters can take care of yourselves now that you're in the Academy. There is enough food in the kitchen for this week, but you'll have to start buying you own crap after that. The Hokage was also kind enough to provide a cookbook. Be thankful."

She marched out the door, without a backward glance.

Naruto scowled fiercely at her back, but Kurama was relieved he never had to deal with her again. In the year that she had been in their life, she hadn't even bothered to give them her name. Kurama sighed and tugged his irate brother to the kitchen.

"Let's, just have cup ramen tonight Naruto." He pulled up a stool in order to get to the cabinet. "We can worry about cooking tomorrow."

Naruto frowned but nodded anyway. He loved ramen, so Kurama knew that would snap him out of his mood. They managed to get back into the groove of things after a few minutes and started to chat like normal. Naruto was going on and on about how they'd make lots of friends in the Academy and it was going to be amazing. Kurama nodded along already making a list of kids they could try and befriend in order to make Naruto happy.

He knew how much being alone hurt.

They had each other, at least, but it'd be nice to talk to others, even if they were just children.

They went to bed soon after dinner. Naruto immediately passed out, as usual. As he shoved his brother's limbs off of him Kurama wondered when they'd be too big to share a bed. Both of them were rather small for their age, Kurama even more so than Naruto. They might be able to get away with it for a little while longer.

Kurama wasn't sure how he felt about that.

He wasn't even sure if a second bed would fit in their tiny bedroom.

Sighing he closed his eyes and cleared his mind until he could finally slip into unconsciousness.

_The Sharingan greeted him when he opened his eyes._

_Pain._

_Utter agony._

_Flames licked his bare feet._

_Blood soaked his clothes._

_His brother, Naruto, lay dead at his feet._

_"Monster!"_

_It was his fault._

_"Demon!"_

_"Regrettably, I cannot let you run loose."_

_He was now in a familiar cage._

_It was so dark and cold._

_No matter how long or how loud he screamed nobody listened._

_Nobody heard._

_Nobody came._

_He was completely and utterly alone._

Kurama woke with a start his eyes immediately seeking the small noise that woke him. He paused, relaxing minutely when he saw the Anbu sitting on the window sill. Of all the Anbu who watched them, Hound was his favorite. He didn't talk more than a few monosyllables and whenever he showed himself he always had this awkward air about him. Like he wasn't sure how to treat them, but he was always there when Kurama had a nightmare. Sitting on the window sill, silently watching over him.

Kurama crawled out of bed and sat down on the sill himself, his feet dangling outside. He breathed deeply, taking measured breaths until his heart rate returned to normal.

"This is the last night."

Kurama glanced at the older man in surprise. He wasn't all that surprised over their cook, but their Anbu as well? The council must be really pressuring the Hokage for him to call them off. He hoped the old man knew what he was doing. Even if he was technically older his body was still six and Naruto was a complete child.

He looked at his hands, feeling a little overwhelmed. A hand ruffled his unruly locks.

"You'll be fine."

With those words said the Anbu was gone. Kurama could sense him on the roof but gave no indication. He only sighed. "I hope so."

The seals on its bars burned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Shikamaru and Iruka.

Apparently cooking was harder than he had first assumed. Kurama stared sullenly at the burnt food in front of him. He had thought he followed the directions completely, but he was second guessing himself now. Naruto was staring at the plate in front of him with wide slightly disturbed eyes. Kurama didn't blame him, he wasn't even sure if they could even categorize it as food anymore.

How does one even burn rice that badly?

He sighed and stood abruptly, startling Naruto. "…Let's just eat cup ramen again."

He pretended to not see his twins' relieved expression. Munching on the noodles silently, he decided that he would need some more practice with cooking. They couldn't eat ramen every day, no matter how much Naruto loved it, nor did they have the funds to eat out too much. Especially if they were expected to buy their own ingredients now.

He wondered, not for the first time, who in their right mind would allow two six-year-olds to live like this. He was over a thousand years old and he was having trouble managing. Then again he had been a being compose entirely of ancient chakra, so acquiring sustenance in order to live hadn't been a big priority.

They walked to the Academy alone. Glares and whispered insults followed them the entire way. Naruto was getting more and more upset the longer it continued, but Kurama only sighed. While he hadn't cared all that much, having so many more years to get used to the humans and their petty hatred, he was still angry that Naruto was forced to bear with it. Out of all of the things, the boy could have gained from his chakra, the ability to sense negative emotions was one Kurama wished he had never developed.

Kurama could deal with it. He had years of practice, but Naruto was still a child; a kit. It was obvious that it was overwhelming at times. But…

He watched as Naruto made a visible effort to shake off his melancholy and turn to him with a big smile.

"Hey! What do ya think we'll learn today, Natsu? Think it'll be something cool?"

Naruto was a strong kid. He'd survive.

Kurama smiled. "I doubt it. It's only the second day."

Naruto pouted. "Ugh, we better not go over history again. That's boring. I want to learn how to do cool Shinobi stuff. Like…Like…uh…"

"Maybe we should learn what Shinobi do before learning how to do it." He replied mildly, enjoying the look of frustration on the six-year-olds face as he tried to piece together what Kurama had said. "Also, history is important."

"I'm going to be Hokage. I don't need history."

Kurama shook his head, laughing at the petulant look on his twin's face. He had his arms folded and everything. He almost didn't want to break it to the boy, almost. "The Hokage needs to know the past even more than regular Shinobi in order to be a good leader."

The exaggerated look of betrayal was worth it. He had a smile on his face all the way to class as Naruto continued to pout.

Daichi-sensei, unfortunately, was as unbearable as he was the first day. If not more so, since he apparently decided there would be no repercussion over treating them like scum in front of the whole class. Kurama narrowed his eyes wishing he could listen in on the council meetings. Surely there must have been a decision recently that revolved around them. The Hokage wouldn't pull his Anbu guards and their cook if nothing significant had occurred. It must have had some kind of an effect on the Academy too if their instructor thought he could get away with this attitude.

He sighed as his brother was called on for another question the instructor knew the boy didn't know.

It was only the second day and the man was calling on an orphan with no formal teaching for questions not even the clan kids could answer. He tilted his head down to hide the angry red flecks he knew were filling his eyes. If he didn't rein in his temper his eyes would turn completely red.

Something had to be done about this man.

He could not sit here and take this calmly. Despite all of his work towards controlling his anger over the years he still had trouble and this man was dancing on his patience. He knew that even without the corrosive hatred, his chakra was still rather intense. Still, he had to do something, for today at least. He'd go to the Hokage after class and see if the man could do something.

Taking a deep breath, while suppressing his chakra as much as he could, he tilted his head back up and gave their instructor a withering glare.

Even without any killing intent behind his gaze the man wilted and turned away quickly leaving Naruto and the rest of the class confused. Kurama raised an eyebrow at the pathetic display wondering how the man could have ever earned a chunin rank.

Naruto glanced at him, giving him a small smile.

Maybe he wasn't as subtle as he had thought. Then again Naruto was very perceptive, for a six-year-old.

Naruto wasn't called on for the rest of class. Unfortunately, Kurama forgot all about bringing a lunch, however, so he tried to distract his twin with questions about the lecture as the rest of their class chatted and ate. No one offered them any, of course.

When class ended they didn't immediately run out like they did yesterday. Which, of course, left them open to the group that had nearly accosted them last time, but Kurama wanted to try and gain some friends for his brother before the instructor completely corrupted them against the blond.

He had noted some potentially neutral candidates the previous class and had watched them today. The Hyuuga girl looked scandalized at the treatment Naruto was getting, while the Akimichi child looked uncomfortable. The Nara child had observed them sleepily off and on throughout the day, and though his face was blank, Kurama couldn't sense any hostility from the boy. Only curiosity.

The Uchiha, on the other hand, seemed to have gained some sort of obsession with him and had been staring blatantly all day. Which had really only irritated Kurama further.

He dragged Naruto over to the Nara and Akimichi first.

Naruto was practically vibrating with excitement, but couldn't seem to form any words when they got close to the other boys. Rolling his eyes, Kurama took pity on his brother.

"Hello, my name is Natsuki Uzumaki and this is my twin Naruto."

*

His parents had made a very big mistake when they told him not to interact with the Uzumaki twins. Well, they hadn't said that specifically, but their intentions were clear when they tried to subtly warn him away from the other boys.

That was their mistake.

He hadn't even noticed the twins other than noting their obnoxious hair colors, but with his parents warning ringing in his ears, he began to see them everywhere.

He realized they were orphans and for some reason everyone in the village hated them.

Despite all his questions and attempt at getting answers, he could never find out why. His best guess was that one, or both of their parents, were criminals. Maybe missing nin. However, the only recent known missing nin from Konoha was Orochimaru and that didn't make sense for a number of reasons.

They wouldn't call two kids demons if their parents were bad, would they?

He had even asked his father at one point, but instead of answering his face twisted into something akin to grief with a healthy dose of guilt. His father never told him to leave the boys alone after that. When his mother tried to take him to a different park after she had caught sight of the twins at the one they normally went to, his father had argued with Shikamaru against it.

Shikamaru wondered if he was close to one of their parents.

But if he was, then why would he never help them?

Surely his parents of all people, wouldn't condemn children for their parent's mistakes.

Shikamaru had watched as the boys were surrounded by bigger kids and beaten-up while his parents dragged him away like nothing was happening. He remembered the frustration, in the smaller one's eyes. He remembered how dark blue almost purple eyes had sought his for a brief moment before turning away, not expecting any help.

That, he thought, was what bothered him the most.

Which was why when the two finally stood in front of him, he decided that he could deal with his mother's nagging. He gave them a brief nod and introduced himself.

"Shikamaru Naru." He glanced briefly at his friend wondering, for the first time, how he would feel about interacting with these two. His parents had also warned him away.

He apparently didn't have to worry, because his friend was smiling shyly. "My names Choji Akimichi. It's nice to meet you."

They were greeted with two very different smiles. A blinding one and a soft thankful one. As they fell into a slightly awkward conversation Shikamaru observed the two again. Natsuki was the smaller of the two with orange hair and wide dark blue eyes that seemed to shift to purple and even showed hints of red at random. When he spoke his voice was soft, his words precise. Shikamaru wondered if the boy was like him, a genius, or whatever people called it.

Naruto, on the other hand, was very loud and cheerful. While they had the same facial structures Naruto had bright blond hair and lighter blue eyes along with some strange whisker marks on his cheeks. Shikamaru was almost worried for a moment that he would make Choji uncomfortable or make the dire mistake of insulting his weight, but the blond somehow managed to get his quiet friend into an argument about the best ramen flavor.

He blinked slowly and shook his head. Natsuki caught his eye and smirked at him before rolling his eyes at the other two. Shikamaru felt a small grin pull at his lips.

"Well, it was nice meeting you two, but Naruto and I need to talk to the Hokage."

Shikamaru's head snapped back to the shorter twin, while Choji's eyes widened.

"You visit the Hokage…?"

"Yeah, the old man is super nice and lets us hang out in his office sometimes." Naruto grinned, not realizing how crazy that sounded.

Natsuki nodded along with his brother, looking like he was enjoying their confusion. "Yeah, we tell him how our day went and the people we meet."

Shikamaru noticed absently that the other boy had raised his voice slightly and the instructor, who had been milling around in the background, went pale suddenly. He waved slowly as the two bounded out the door while shaking his head. Those two were insane.

"They were nice." Choji murmured. "I don't know why mom and dad don't like them."

Shikamaru sighed. "Me neither."

He glanced out the window, eyeing his mother chatting with Choji's mother as they waited for the boys to come out. He sighed again.

"So, troublesome."

Choji just laughed.

*

Kurama stared at the secretary. He didn't even bother hiding his disbelief.

She just scowled. "Look, brats, the Hokage is too important to entertain you. So, scram."

There had been three different secretaries since Kurama and Naruto had started visiting the Hokage at four. The first one very nearly broke the law and told them about the 'Kyuubi'. She was removed immediately and he never saw her again. The second was a kind elderly woman who always gave them candy whenever they had to wait for the old man to finish up a meeting. She had resigned when her arthritis started becoming too much for her to handle.

The third one had disliked them but was smart enough to realize that since the Hokage liked them she was in no position to be outwardly rude to them. They had entered a silent agreement to stay out of each other's way.

Though Kurama was fairly certain that Naruto's adorable nature had managed to get under her skin. She had been a lot more accommodating and pleasant for the past few months.

This woman, however, was glaring at them from her desk. She hadn't even let them get a word in edgewise. Without further explanation, she summoned the guards and the two found themselves sitting in the dirt outside the tower.

They sat there blinking in surprise.

"Uh, Natsu…what happened?"

Kurama turned to his brother and helped him up. "I'm not sure…"

Though he had some ideas. This coupled with the withdrawal of the Anbu and their cook was looking even more suspicious. He was almost certain, now that some sort of meeting had taken place recently. He sighed.

"Maybe we can sneak in!" Naruto whispered loudly. "Like Shinobi, you know!"

Kurama smiled at him. "We'd need a plan for that and more training. So, not today, but maybe…"

Naruto pouted for a moment before grinning. "We can plan and train, so we're the best sneakers and then the old man will have to make me Hokage!"

Kurama chuckled and ruffle his hair. "Yeah, okay Naruto."

They headed home after that and ate some more ramen. Kurama practiced trying to make simple things for a little while, as Naruto scribbled some plans for their big break-in at the table. He sighed, glaring down at the soggy mess in front of him before starting to clean up. It looked like they would have to share the last instant ramen for breakfast tomorrow.

Later that night as Naruto snored beside him Kurama stared up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

Actually, he simply didn't want to sleep, rather than couldn't. Every time he'd close his eyes he'd find himself back in his cage. Completely alone. With only the burning pain of the seal on his skin and echoes of screams ringing in his ear.

Sometimes, on particularly nasty nights, he'd find Naruto outside the bars glaring at him with spite filled eyes, his mother beside him and Mito behind them looking on with disinterest.

It had been bearable with Hound waking him up, but now that the Anbu wasn't here he was…uncertain about letting himself fall unconscious.

He sat up and dragged himself over to the window, laying his forehead against the cool glass.

He watched the stars for a while feeling the sickeningly sinking feeling of dread course through him. Something was happening. Something bad.

He could feel it in his bones...

He slept very little that night.

They shared the last ramen in the morning.

Naruto tried to make him eat it all, but Kurama would hear none of it.

The walk to the Academy was strangely silent. Kurama glanced around suspiciously at the lack of people on the streets.

There was an oppressive feeling in the air.

They stood awkwardly in front of the empty Academy. It wasn't a holiday or anything that would warrant the canceling of classes. Just as Kurama was starting to worry about a genjutsu a man came running out of the building toward them.

"What are you doing here?! Alone, too! Didn't your parents tell you class was canceled today?!"

They stared up at the chunin in surprise. Their silence forced the shinobi to actually look closely at them, which made the man pale considerably. Apparently, he hadn't recognized them when he came running out. Though Kurama wasn't sure how since they were pretty easy to spot with their hair colors.

"What's going on?" He asked. "Why're classes canceled?"

The man blinked. "Nobody told you?"

Kurama frowned. "Who would? We live alone."

Then again, he thought to himself, they should have been notified by someone.

"Well, the Uchiha…You know what, let me walk you home."

Kurama narrowed his eyes at the mention of that clan, suddenly suspicious. "Who are you?"

He blinked at Kurama, before giving a strained smile. "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Iruka Umino. I'm an assistant instructor at the Academy."

Kurama sighed, at least he tried to keep his dislike of them hidden. He didn't sense any dishonesty. He looked at his brother, who shrugged.

"Well… okay. We'll lead the way Umino-sensei."

"Oh no! I'm not a teacher, yet…you don't have to. Just call me Iruka…"

Naruto cut him off with a laughing. "Okay, Iruka-sensei!"

The blond started throwing rapid fire questions at the man immediately as they walked back home. Kurama laughed softly at the man's awkward floundering. He was pretty nice even if he did hate them. The man even looked rather indignant at the state of their apartment building.

Naruto seemed to catch his look and grinned widely. "It's not much, but its home!"

Iruka only raised an eyebrow. Kurama couldn't blame him, the building could use some work, but since very few people live there the landlord didn't bother. They had managed to reach their apartment when Naruto's stomach rumbled.

Kurama sighed, while his twin looked sheepish.

"Umm…do you two have anything to eat?"

Kurama glanced at him. "We have some ingredients, but I can't seem to make anything edible yet."

"Yeah, we've been eating ramen, but we ran out this morning." Naruto tugged on his hand. "Natsu, we should go get more ramen!"

Kurama shook his head. "We can't live off ramen Naruto."

Iruka fidgeted turning Kurama's attention to him once again. "Thank you for taking us home Iruka-sensei, but would you mind telling what exactly happened?"

The man rubbed the back of his neck before seemingly deciding something. "Alright, I'll tell you guys what happened while I make breakfast."

Naruto cheered, while Kurama nodded.

"First and foremost. I have to ask whether either of you know what the word massacre means?"

Kurama nodded as his mind raced, while Naruto shook his head. Before he could turn to his brother to explain, Iruka had already started talking again as he looked through their kitchen.

"That's alright, Naruto. It's a complicated word for a six-year-old, I'm surprised you brother knows it. A Massacre is when someone brutally murders a group of people without a reason." The man started shuffling ingredients while turning on the stove. Kurama slunk over to watch him work. "Do you know what murder means?"

This time Naruto nodded and solemnly recited what Kurama had told him a while back. "Murder means someone killed somebody else in…um, cold-blood?"

Kurama sent a proud smile to his twin while Iruka nodded.

"Yes, that's correct." Iruka flinched slightly when he saw how close Kurama had gotten, but didn't allow his uneasiness to affect his explanation. "Last night the entire Uchiha clan was massacred by one of their own members, Itachi Uchiha. The Anbu were sent after him and all the Shinobi are on high alert. Civilians were ordered to stay at home, even genin, chunin, and all clan members were recommended to do that same. Which was why classes were canceled."

They sat in silence for a moment. The feeling of dread that had plagued him all night had suddenly become clear, but there were still too many questions. While he wasn't one to argue against the destruction of that awful clan, he realized that it also left Konoha weak. Which made him slightly nervous, knowing how humans would act upon perceived weakness. On top of that, there was the question of why.

"Have they figured out why Itachi did it?" Kurama asked, decided that was the only safe question for the time being.

Iruka sighed. "No, the only survivor, his younger brother Sasuke, hasn't woken up yet. From what I heard, they are currently investigating the site for any clues."

Kurama frowned. "I see."

With that somber talk out of the way and breakfast made the twins sat down at the table to eat, while Iruka shuffled awkwardly.

"Wow, this is really good Iruka-sensei!" Naruto waved his chopsticks around excitedly.

Kurama smiled at his brother, agreeing completely. "Yes, it is very good. I'd rather have this every day than instant ramen."

Naruto shot him a wounded look but didn't argue, which was very telling.

Their former cooks' food had always been very simple and slightly bland, but Iruka somehow managed to make a flavorful concoction with the same ingredients. Kurama promised himself to try harder to learn more about cooking. He hadn't realized food could taste this good.

"Ah..uh… it's nothing. Really."

Naruto just grinned at the flustered man and took another mouthful as if to prove his point.

"Ne, Iruka-sensei." Naruto's smiled soften. "You're pretty cool for an adult. Even though you don't like us you still took us home, answered our questions and cook us food. That's pretty awesome, you know?"

Kurama nodded. "Yes, you're a good person Iruka-sensei and a good teacher. I hope we have you as an instructor in the future."

"I…" Kurama watched in confusion as a number of emotions flashed across the man's face as he paled considerably.

"I should go." He finally said quietly.

"Bye, bye Sensei!" Naruto waved his grin back in full force.

Kurama simply watched as Iruka stumbled out the door looking as though he'd seen a ghost.

He wondered if he said something to offend him.

Kurama shrugged and went back to his food.

Humans could be weird sometimes, he wasn't sure if he'd ever understand them completely.

*

_"You're pretty cool for an adult. Even though you don't like us you still took us home, answered our questions and cook us food. That's pretty awesome, you know?"_

It felt like a punch to the gut.

He collapsed in the entryway of his home, his hand held over his mouth. He felt very sick all of the sudden. They knew. They knew that he hated them, probably from the first time he realized who they were. And yet, and yet….

The smiled at him and called him 'sensei'. They invited him into their home and allowed him to cook them food. He covered his face with his hands as he drew his knees to his chest.

The image of those two de-, those two children staring up at him with solemn eyes, expecting rejection and outright hatred. They had liked him because he was polite to them despite his feelings! Because he did what any responsible adult, much less a shinobi, would do.

_"It's not much, but its home!"_

He groaned quietly as he recalled their apartment. The building was dilapidated and in obvious need of some work. He hadn't seen anyone on the walk to the twin's apartment. The apartment itself was shabby at best, but completely clean and lacking in any sort of decorations or homey feel.

_"I can't seem to make anything edible yet."_

The smaller twin, Natsuki, had watched him seriously as he cooked.

At first, he had been freaked out, but now he wondered if they had anyone to cook for them. Was the little orange haired child with deep bags beneath his eyes hoping to learn how to cook, so they could eat something other than instant ramen? They had mentioned ramen a few times and had thought his simple meal had been the best thing ever.

He closed his eyes trying to forget their smiling faces.

Smiling.

Being so grateful to have a proper meal.

Being happy about being treated kindly.

_"Yes, you're a good person Iruka-sensei…"_

"No, no I'm really not." He choked out as he leaned his head against the wall.

He knew that.

He knew because he remembered that flash of irritation when he realized who they were. He remembered thinking to himself…

_'Why couldn't Itachi have killed them instead?'_

He was definitely not a good person if he had thought that about the two small orphans.

No parents.

No one to look after them.

They only had each other, in that small empty apartment with its worn-out furniture and blank walls.

"I'm a terrible person."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is currently sixteen chapters long and I'm almost done with chapter seventeen, so it may take a little while to upload all of it. Especially since I'm so new to this site and am still trying to figure out what I'm doing. lol
> 
> Also, it should be noted that yes I realize the timing is a bit off for the Uchiha massacre. Since its already au with Kurama I just adjusted the timeline a little bit here and there to make things flow better for the story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Kakashi.

Kurama wasn't sure what he expected the next day when there was a knock on the door first thing in the morning. However, a sheepish Iruka holding a cookbook was not it. He decided to take it in stride and allowed the assistant teacher to shuffle in and bustle around the kitchen claiming that he'd teach Kurama how to cook since the academy was closed today as well. Kurama smiled at him in bemusement but expressed his thanks at what he thought was the appropriate times.

Naruto hadn't woken up yet, but that didn't surprise Kurama. Having realized that his brother wasn't sleeping well the blond decided to be a good big brother and stay up with him. He tried his best, but Naruto eventually fell asleep drooling on his shoulder.

Kurama stood on the stool listening closely as Iruka explained what he was doing and why, while he cooked. At times he tensed and his voice would waver, but he seemed to be trying very hard to remain calm and polite.

"Natsuki-kun…how long have you two not had anyone to cook for you?"

Kurama tilted his head. "Don't worry, sensei, it hasn't been very long. Just since we started at the academy."

"And…no one taught either of you to cook?" There was a hint of anger in the man's voice, which made Kurama smile.

"No one's taught us much of anything, sensei. I figured it would just be another thing we'd have to learn on our own."

"I see."

It was the truth Kurama mused to himself. He wasn't sure what sort of shape Naruto would be in if Kurama hadn't been there to keep up with the impromptu lessons an Anbu had given them on reading and numbers. Their 'lessons', if they could be called that, only lasted a week before the man deemed them capable enough, or something. It took a lot of effort on Kurama's part to make sure Naruto kept practicing them until he was as literate as other kids his age. Though they both still had trouble with numbers. Kurama himself had never seen the point of it, being an immortal fox demon, so he was shaky at best.

Kurama sent a considering look at the fuming brunette next to him, wondering if he could get the assistant teacher to help with that as well as cooking. He'd have to keep that in mind, after all, he wasn't sure how long the man was going to stick around.

He helped the man place their chipped tableware on the table before shuffling into the other room to wake his still sleeping brother. That didn't take much effort once the boy's nose caught the scent of food.

"Yay! Iruka-sensei cooked for us again!"

Kurama smiled at his brother. "He said he was going to teach me how to cook."

"Cool, can I learn too?!" Naruto sent Iruka his best puppy dog look, complete with bits of food stuck to his chin.

Kurama could practically see the moment when the man gave into the blond. He hid his smile behind his hand. The rest of the day was spent going over the beginner cookbook Iruka said had been laying around his house and practicing making small dishes and snacks. Naruto loved it and Kurama was hard pressed not to enjoy Iruka's company.

"You'll make a good teacher, Iruka-sensei." He commented as the man was tidying up the kitchen. He had tried to help, but Iruka sent him away to eat the cookies they had made.

He watched as the man tensed, slightly, before his shoulders slumped. Clouded eyes focused on him for a moment, before flashing with determination.

"I'm trying to be."

Kurama turned his gaze away, allowing Naruto to jump into the conversation with loud expressions of joy over the sweets they made. He had suddenly felt a weight in the pit of his stomach. He wondered who Iruka lost during his attack. He must have lost someone. The signs were obvious. Though, he tried not to think about it. He tried to focus on the unnecessary hatred toward his brother because the truth was difficult to swallow.

It really was his fault that people, with families and friends, had died during his attack six years ago.

He was the one who killed them.

He tried to justify it by reminding himself that the stupid Uchiha forced him, but that didn't make it any better.

Especially when he was confronted by all of the evidence of his destruction on a daily basis.

Perhaps, once, he wouldn't have cared.

Human's used to be such tiny little things to him.

Weak and annoying.

But, it was hard to keep that mentality when he was essentially one of them now. When he was their size it was difficult to keep such a distance. It was difficult not to care.

"Natsuki-kun? Are you okay?"

Kurama sighed and set the half-eaten cookie on his plate.

"You don't have to force yourself, sensei."

There was a short bout of silence. Kurama didn't have to look to know that Naruto was now watching the adult closely. The boy could be perspective about people and their emotions when he wanted to be. He expected denial, perhaps some spluttered, half-formed excuses, so when a warm hand ruffled his hair gently he nearly jumped in surprise.

"You should finish that cookie then head to bed, the both of you. I'll come over tomorrow and see if we can work out a schedule for cooking, cleaning, and shopping."

They both stared silently at the cheerful face of the only adult in the room. Kurama in sheer surprise and Naruto with a slowly forming smile. He eventually did finish the treat and Iruka proceeded to shoo them off to bed. Like a mother hen, he had fussed over them and shot dirty looks at the holes in their worn pajamas.

"And get some sleep, Natsuki-kun!"

He snorted and shook his head.

"Fine, have it your way."

If that silly human wanted to prove something to himself by trying to take care of them, Kurama wouldn't be the one to stop him. He wasn't sure if he would ever completely understand human beings.

They could be so strange.

*

Iruka swung both the tiny hands in his grasp, making the blond child laugh and his twin smile. It was the third day after the Uchiha massacre, as it was being called, and Iruka decided to take the two twins out shopping now that the stores were open again. The smaller twin had given him a serious look and tried to explain he didn't have to spend his money on them. He countered him by explaining that he had plenty to live on, so spending a little on some clothes and trinkets for them wasn't a big loss.

He proceeded to ignore the continued protests until the child huffed and gave up.

Iruka had sent him a smile and earned a half-hearted glare. He simply shook his head and turned to answer some of Naruto's random questions.

As they browsed through store after store Iruka observed the two silently. Their actions ranged from amusing to slightly depressing depending on the store and the people in them. While Naruto was all sunshine and smiles with him and his brother his attitude changed as soon as there was a perceived threat towards his younger twin. He became defensive, never letting his brother out of his sight.

Natsuki, on the other hand, seemed to subtly recoil into himself. His expression was cold and unyielding, his eyes a deep swirling purple. The boy seemed to be extremely aware of everyone's movements, from the angry gestures to the slightest twitch of the fingers.

A good trait for a shinobi.

Though a worrisome one for a child.

After watching the children for two days, he had decided that Natsuki must be a genius. To what extent, he didn't know, but normal children didn't express themselves as clearly nor were they as mature as the orange haired child was. He pushed a nasty thought away with little trouble and focused on what he could do to help the boy adjust. Geniuses sometimes had trouble in school. Whether it was from too many expectations or special treatment from teachers or even resentment from their peers there were always issues.

Now more than ever, geniuses would be observed and criticized.

After all, there were now two missing-nin from Konoha who had been celebrated as geniuses of their time.

Naruto was bright as well, though he excelled in more practical, hands-on, lessons. The likes of which they wouldn't get for a little while in the academy due to their age and physical limitations. He figured he'd have to try and give the boy some extra lessons that would actually help until then. For now, he decided to simply buy the books the younger twin was eyeing and the toy the older one was poking for the last two minutes and make plans to teach the two what they needed when they needed it.

Iruka plucked the items off of their respective shelves and heading toward the front count the two trailing behind him with wide eyes. He sent a cold smile to the glaring man at the register as he pulled out his wallet, noting absentmindedly how Naruto would shift in front of his brother whenever glares were sent their way.

Luckily, no one gave them any trouble. Then again, that might have been because of the glare he sent all of the store clerks. Honestly, they should act more professional.

Then again, he wasn't one to talk. He had only recently begun to try and see past his own hatred and he still had a bad thought every once in a while. He looked down at the two children. They were happily chatting to one another as they clutched their bags tightly to their chests.

He wondered if they had ever gotten a gift from anyone other than each other.

The Hokage, from what the two had been saying about him over the past couple of days, might have given them gifts for their birthdays or holidays, but he was a busy man and probably couldn't give them presents on a regular basis. Things like a chocolate bar here or a new toy there. Normal things, normal children take for granted.

Iruka gripped the bags in his hands tighter.

Another promise to add to the list.

He seemed to be making them more frequently over the past few days. Somehow, though, he couldn't find it in himself to care.

Those two needed some spoiling.

*

Kakashi stumbled through the village in an impassive haze that was slowly becoming normal. He had just gotten back from a two-day mission turned three when he ran into a search party for Itachi Uchiha, who apparently betrayed his clan and village. As soon as he came back and gave his report he was immediately shuffled off to and interrogation related to his own Sharingan and 'genius' status before he was eventually deemed a non-knowledgeable, non-threat. For now.

Kakashi had little doubt they would be keeping an eye on him and his mental status for a while longer. Which, of course, made his own bad habits stand out now more than ever. Every jounin, especially Anbu, had a least a few so Kakashi had gotten away with only a roll of the eyes here and an exasperated sigh there. He guessed he'd have to tone it down over the next few months.

He rubbed his only visible eye tiredly. He had thought about heading back to his apartment, but it was tiny and lifeless.

Instead, he headed toward the memorial.

He could have taken the rooftops, but he didn't feel like it.

He was tired.

A flash of brightly colored hair caught his attention and he turned his head to see the two Uzumaki twins. The sight of them always brought an unwelcome rush of memories and emotions. They reminded him too much of those he had lost, both in physical appearance and even personality. It nearly physically hurt to see them, to be near them, but he never could turn down a mission involving them. Even if it meant having to watch them.

So, when he noticed a strange man he didn't know with the two he tensed minutely.

While the man didn't express any discomfort or hatred, he was definitely a ninja of at least chunin status. In light of the recent massacre, he knew it was possible for someone to somehow manage to blame the two or get it in their heads that they could get away with hurting them.

After all, no one simply spent time with the two.

He ignored the pang that followed that thought and shifted his direction to follow the group of three from a distance. He followed them all the way back to the twin's apartment and proceeded to watch as the man taught the twins how to fix the dinner he was making. Kakashi hadn't felt anything negative from the other ninja and the two boys kept calling him sensei.

He considered the possibility that the man was their instructor, but he still couldn't believe that someone would go this far for the 'demon twins'. It seemed that everyone was willing to ignore and at times blatantly spite on his sensei's last wish.

He watched with no small amount of confusion as the man made sure they ate all of their dinners and went over that was expected at the academy, giving them a mini-lesson on Konoha history and other facts they may need to know for school. He sent the off to bed with the promise of meeting them after school to continue their cooking lessons. While Kakashi himself was not all that versed in the many aspects of family life, he could recognize enough to realize the man was treating them like younger brothers or even his own children.

Kakashi sent a clone after the man but stayed to keep an eye on the twins. Naruto seemed to try and remain awake with his twin for an hour or two, but the effects of a full stomach and semi-comfortable bed had a strong effect on the six-year-old. The blond passed out, while Natsuki remained awake.

He had a fleeting worry that the child wasn't getting any sleep. He had nightmares that rivaled Kakashi's on a bad day nearly every night. They had gotten into a system when he was on night duty, but without Kakashi there to wake him up…

He eyed the slowly forming bags beneath six-year-olds eyes.

Staying awake was one way to cope, but one that, Kakashi knew from experience, never lasted. He battled with himself for a few moments. He didn't have his Anbu gear on him and to reveal himself was a large breach in security as the boy would undoubtedly recognize him. He gazed silently at the small, pale face gazing unseeingly up at the ceiling.

It was the eyes that did it, in the end, Kakashi decided.

Too much like Kushina.

He was in the room before he knew it. Hand running through the ridiculously messy orange locks.

"Just sleep." He murmured. "I'll watch over you."

He tried not to shift uncomfortably as the child gaze focused on him a small frown marring his face. Eventually, however, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, he slumped down into a light sleep. Kakashi wondered how many times Minato-sensei had done this for him after his father had died or even after Obito's death.

He wondered if this was a punishment of sorts, before deciding it really didn't matter.

His clone had popped itself at some point, sending him information on the man who had been with them, but Kakashi put that information away for later. He stayed there the rest of the night.

Watching over the two.

*

*Extra*

Naruto stuck his lip out stubbornly.

"No, if you can't sleep neither will I! I'm your big brother, you know?!"

He watched as his twin rolled his eyes, but was obviously too tired to try and put up a fight. That only made him more worried. Natsu was never one to let anyone, even him, have the last word. He frowned, he knew his brother had bad nightmares. They used to wake him up when they had lived at the orphanage. He had hated how weak and useless they made him feel. All he was able to do was hold his gasping brother and hope that the other boy would be able to go back to sleep.

He had been very happy when it seemed as though they went away.

He glared at the wall, his brother was keeping secrets and he didn't like it one bit. Especially because he knew his twin was doing it so that he didn't bother Naruto.

He would have none of this business.

If Natsu couldn't sleep then Naruto would stay awake with him!

That was his job as his big brother.

Naruto chatted quietly with him for a while, not minding when his brother didn't respond much. He was the one who usually did all of the talking anyway and besides his brother was tired.

He felt his eyes dropping dangerously half-way through the night and tried to force them open, but it was becoming more difficult as time passed. He tried to get Natsu to help him stay awake, but his twin just smiled at him.

"It's okay Naruto. Just go to sleep."

In the end, he failed and fell asleep.

He woke up the next morning irritated with himself, but he didn't let it show. One day he'll definitely be a better big brother. He'd make sure all of Natsu's nightmares ran away and didn't bug him anymore. That way Natsu would be able to sleep properly.

Naruto wondered vaguely how one would fight nightmares, but eventually decided he'd be able to do it when he was Hokage. The Hokage was the strongest shinobi, so surely he'd be able to fight nightmares when he became the Hokage.

It didn't matter what it was.

If it hurt his brother, he'd beat it up.

It was his job, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting the hang of it. lol


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurama's sass gets him in trouble.

When they finally returned to school Uchiha Sasuke was not there. He didn't attend the next day or the day after that. There were whispers around the school and the general public that the boy was in the hospital due to a Sharingan ability his brother used on him. Kurama had little doubt as to what attack was used, even if the rest of the Konoha populous didn't.

Shikamaru mentioned an interrogation and Kurama had to stop himself from wincing.

Even if they were Uchiha, even if he hated them, their ancestors and everything they stood for, he also knew loss. He knew the bone-deep ache of losing one's family. Even if they were loud, annoying and undoubtedly insane, the other Biju were family to him. They were his family no matter how much he denied it. He realized that now, in his current state, and regretted pushing them away.

It still hurt, like a fresh and aching wound in his chest. He could feel their pain, as muted as it was, their sorrow, their loneliness. Trapped within their own seals, cursing fate.

He knew it must have been utter agony to think about your family's murder so soon after the act. To have to go over every detail with strangers.

Perhaps that's why his eyes always turned to the empty seat, even a week after the massacre.

Perhaps that why when the boy finally did return two weeks later, full of anger and sorrow with a touch of the Uchiha madness, Kurama looked him dead in the eye for the first time.

I don't like you, but I don't hate you either.

The boy's face twisted with confusion, unable to understand the meaning behind silent declaration. Kurama merely smiled blandly back. After all, confusion was better than anger. It was so much better than that all-consuming madness.

One broken Uchiha was superior to a clan of bitter ones, after all.

The broken can be fixed.

He knew that now.

Naruto, being Naruto and uncannily observant at the least expected times, proceeded to drag the dark haired boy into the empty seat at their table rather than the one at the front of the class.

Ignoring all protests he brightly and declared "Welcome back…what, what's your name again?"

Shikamaru, sitting with Choji at the table behind them, snorted and Kurama shook his head while the Uchiha looked utterly offended. However, that irritation turn to a reluctant appreciation as Naruto cut off, distracted and completely and blatantly prevent their instructor from making any mention of the massacre or bothering the Uchiha in any way.

When Naruto invited him to their home after school, explaining excitedly that Iruka-sensei had been teaching them to cook and he had finally gotten the hang of homemade ramen, the boy actually looked interested even if his jounin escort frowned in disapproval.

The Uchiha refused in the end. Grateful for Naruto's actions, but still too proud for his own good. Kurama wondered at the faint regret on Naruto's face. After all, the boy hadn't even known the Uchiha's name before today.

He shouldn't have even bothered wondering because Naruto turned to him with a sad smile and murmured. "He's just like us, you know."

It didn't matter in the end that the last Uchiha was adored by the village, while they were the outcasts. Naruto had found a connection between them and Kurama knew better than to discourage it. Because that was who Naruto was and it reminded him of someone so dear to him he couldn't bear to smother it, even if he knew his brother would be hurt. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but in the future, he'll reach out to someone and be turned away, betrayed, hurt.

Kurama only hoped that he wouldn't be the one to hurt him.

The rest of the day flew by in an uninteresting blur. Iruka had started getting busier as the school year started, so he didn't have time to spend every evening with them. Kurama found himself once again staring restlessly up at the ceiling. Naruto snoring lightly beside him.

He heard a rustle and smiled.

The anbu Hound, or Kakashi as he had come to learn, returned again tonight as he had since his reappearance without his Anbu uniform. He remained on the window sill like he had when he was their guard, but he had become more talkative lately. Kurama appreciated it, even if he didn't understand the man's reasons.

Regardless of motives, Kurama had taken a liking to their talks. They calmed him down enough to fall into a dreamless sleep. Their topics ranged from the most mundane of topics to the abstract and complicated. Kurama liked that fact that the man didn't question his intelligence nor discredit his opinion because of his physical age.

He wondered if talking with him was just as calming as it was for Kurama. Some days it seemed that way, while on other days the man seemed to curl into himself. On those days, he reeked of guilt and sorrow. It was on those days Kurama wondered how the man was connected to them. Did he know his previous host, his…mother, or was he connected to his…father? On those days, he would fall into an uneasy sleep considering the question and all the implications of the answers he considered.

A mere three month later, Kurama tried not to let his boredom show in school, but it was a difficult task. While he didn't know much about human culture and history he was able to understand the lectures much quicker than his fellow classmates. Instead, he helped his brother through the lessons as subtly as he could. The boy was smart but didn't have the attention span nor the patience to puzzle through the instructor's words. He liked practical lessons like Iruka had been teaching them, with images and objects that Naruto could hold. Kurama couldn't have been more grateful for the man's creativity when teaching them.

Their instructor had taken to ignoring them completely unless Naruto instigated something, so he could whisper translations for Naruto to understand. When Naruto seemed to understand what was going on, Kurama let his mind drift to other subjects. Some, rather worrying subjects. He had managed to convince his brother to practice stealth by 'spying' on the shinobi around town and while it was a rather slow process, Naruto's sudden thirst for pranks was more pressing. He wasn't sure if the 'stealth missions' were what brought it on or pent-up passive aggression from constantly being looked down upon, but Kurama didn't appreciate being his brother's test subject.

He thought his hair was ridiculous, normally, but bright pink and standing straight up from static took it to a new level. He wasn't even sure how Naruto managed to pull than one off. All he knew was that he woke up that way and remained that way for the rest of the day.

After a few more similar pranks, he had managed to persuade Naruto into targeting other shinobi in hopes helping his brother with training and give himself a break. To his great relief, he was no longer a target. However, that didn't mean he was completely in the clear. Apparently, his dear, sweet brother had begun a revenge campaign against their instructor and his pranks continued to become more elaborate.

They found themselves in trouble more often than not. Him usually being dragged into punishment because he was Naruto's twin, rather than having anything to do with the pranks themselves.

Iruka laughed, before scolding Naruto. He then recounted his own escapades, unintentionally managing to encourage Naruto to get even more creative. Kurama was positive that he would develop a constant eye twitch before he turned seven if this nonsense kept up.

He caught a slightly suspicious movement out of the corner of his eyes, dragging him out of his thoughts for the moment. He tilted his head to the side as the Hyuuga girl seemed to have developed a twitch making her fingers tap incessantly on the desk in front of her. Her eyes flashed from him to the front of the room before he finally got the message looked forward, just in time for his "sensei" to slam his hands on the desk in front of him. The intention was to startle him, but Kurama wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Instead, he tilted his head up at the teacher and raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Pay attention Uzumaki! If you daydream during a mission you'll be killed!"

'I'm six, as far as you know. What do you expect, you moron.' Kurama thought as he gave the man an unimpressed look. The man was lenient and understanding with the other kids in the room, but not them. Instead of making a fuss he simply lowered his eyes and uttered a soft.

"Understood, sensei."

It wasn't worth the effort.

The man scowled and stalked up front to continue to lecture about the different countries with a map pulled down to show the boundaries. It was information that Iruka had already taught Naruto and him, so he hadn't considered it all that important to listen as closely as he did all the other lectures.

He rolled his eyes.

That was apparently a mistake.

It seemed as though, their sensei was completely fed up with the pranks and their general existence.

"So, the genius thinks he too smart to participate with the rest of the class, eh?"

Oh.

"Well, why don't we go outside and I'll demonstrate what happens to ninja's who don't listen to their instructors."

_Oh._

*

Iruka leaned back and stretched his arms above his head. He sighed in relief as his back cracked in three different places. He had finally completed all of the paperwork for becoming an instructor. He had gone to all the interviews and completed all the tests. Now all he need to do was get this stack of forms to the Hokage tower and wait for his tests to be graded. He hadn't known just how much work it was to become an academy teacher when he started, he couldn't even image what it took to become a jounin instructor for genin. He took a deep breath and released it slowly.

It took a long time for him to make it this far, but imagining teaching his first class made the struggle worth it. Not only that, but he had been getting a lot of experience over the past three months with teaching the Uzumaki twins.

A fond smile made its way across his face.

For all of the tragedy the Uchiha Massacre left in its wake, his meeting with the twins was a blessing he could never have foreseen. It had cost him a few friends and acquaintances, but he considered it worth it every time the two grinned at him or when their eyes lit up with joy.

He sorted the paperwork on his desk, wondering if he would get to teach a class with those two in it. He would have to continue to work as a teacher's assistant until the next school session, but if he did really well he'd be able to teach a class himself. He wasn't sure if he could request a class, but he considered trying. After all, he doubted anyone else wanted to teach a class with those two in it as sad as that fact was to him.

He finally stood up and gathered all the papers into a folder. If he delivered them now, then he'd have the rest of the day off.

He hummed to himself as he walked down the hall, his mood only getting brighter as he thought about what he could make for dinner and whether or not Naruto would try another prank on him after the last one failed spectacularly. The kid was good, but Iruka had experience on his side. He grinned as the image of Natsuki's exasperated face came to mind.

The grinned slipped slightly when he noticed a group of chunin and genin, teacher assistants, huddled around one of the windows looking out at the training ground behind the academy.

"What's going on?" He called out, making them jump. His suspicion rose when they took one look at him and shifted their eyes away from his. Guilt was etched into their bodies.

One of them, however, didn't look guilty at all and he smirked at Iruka. "One of the instructors is showing an unruly student what for."

Iruka's eyes narrowed as his gut screamed at him that something was wrong. His gaze shifted to the group outside, just in time to see a familiar orange head hit the ground; hard.

Iruka knew that he was known for a level head in combat situations. He read it in his file and had heard his friends praise him for it enough times. He had taken pride in never losing his cool in rough situations. That didn't mean he didn't get angry. That wasn't possible, but he controlled his anger and acted as rationally as he could, even in situations that he hated.

That rationality was gone today. For the first time in a very long time, he saw red.

*

Sasuke shivered as he watched the blood slowly seeping into the ground around the smaller twins head. His mind flashed back to three months ago before he could stop it. He wrapped his arms around himself.

The blond was screaming and attacking their instructor with vicious bites and scratches. The boy was almost rabid with rage over his twins beating.

The other students shifted uncomfortably and whispered to themselves. They had been taught to respect and follow the orders of their instructor, but…

Sasuke's eyes landed on the unconscious boy's face.

Vivid red stained the pale skin.

He closed his eyes and tried to push the memories away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka becomes a sensei and the Hokage puts his foot down.

Iruka had the other man on the ground within a minute and sent an extra, petty kick down south for hurting a child he had come to care for dearly. It wasn't hard, really, when the man in question was focused on Naruto. That was the issue. He froze reflexively when a familiar chakra permeated the air. His eyes turn to Natsuki first before settling on the enraged Naruto who was now glowing faintly with excess chakra. Time stood still for a moment as he stared into the blue eyes as they slowly turned an angry red. The students were panicking now, having never experienced such high levels of chakra. Everyone but the Uchiha boy, who was still staring vacantly at Natsuki, started backing away. The teacher, for whom Iruka didn't even know the name, whimpered pathetically when he caught sight of the six-year-old.

Iruka couldn't move.

His hands were shaking, his heart was racing as his mind automatically went back to the horrible night.

But, Naruto wasn't the Kyuubi.

He took a deep breath and swallow heavily. It was difficult due to the oppressive chakra in the air, but he forces himself to calm down. In the wake of the Kyuubi attack, his sensei had put him through extensive training involving killing intent and how to react to oppressive chakra levels. He watched the blond, crouched defensively over is fallen twin, and focused on the memories he had of Naruto and Natsuki. The smiles, the laughs and the overwhelming guilt.

He managed to move his body just in time to block a kunai thrown at the twins from the window he just jumped from. He glared up at the shaking chunin who threw it for a brief moment before turning to Anbu appearing out of the woodwork. A group of three shuffled the other students away, while the others set up a perimeter.

"Please, don't h-hurt him." He took a deep breath, glancing one more time at the irate child. "Let me try and calm him down. P-Please."

The Anbu closest to him, a tall man with a dog mask, tilted his head in what Iruka hoped was consent. He took another breath and turned fully towards Naruto. The haze of red was still hovering around him, his whisker marks had darkened while becoming more ragged and his nails were extending into claws. In the back of his mind, Iruka marveled at the changes this excessive chakra could create in a human, but he ignored that and took a step forward.

Red eyes snapped towards him and the boy growled lowly.

He held his hands up slowly.

"Naruto. Naruto. I-It's okay. It's me, Iruka…" He didn't move forward again as Naruto watched him warily from his crouched position. Iruka glanced at Natsuki. He winced at the blood coating the ground around the child's head. He needed to calm Naruto down, quickly, for Natsuki.

He took a step forward.

"Naruto." He voice was more firm this time as he searched for any sign of the child he had come to know over the last several months. "Naruto, listen to me. I want to help Natsuki. He needs to go to the hospital to be healed."

He took another step.

Naruto growled loudly shifting slightly, but not moving away from Natsuki. One of Anbu moved to the side as if the flank the boy. The chakra in the air immediately seemed to tighten, nearly sending Iruka to the ground with its potency.

"S-stop!" He shouted. "S-Stay out of this!"

He knew, deep in his gut, if the Anbu interfered Naruto wouldn't make it out of this situation without injuries and Natsuki would only suffer more if he was left unattended longer due to a fight. He had to end this without violence. The twins had enough of that today.

"Naruto." He tried again, but Naruto would hear none of it. The boy launched toward the nearest Anbu. Iruka dove after him and pulled the blond boy to his chest wincing as the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra touched his skin, but not letting go.

"Naruto. Listen to me." He murmured softly into the soft blond hair even as his skin turned red as first degree burns started spreading on his hands and arms. "It's okay. Your brother will be okay, but you have to let us help you."

Sharp teeth sunk into his arm and he held back a curse.

This wasn't working…

"Naruto…?"

Iruka's head jerked up in sync with Naruto's.

Natsuki blinked slowly at the pair, from his position still sitting on the ground, taking in their position and Naruto's current features. He blinked once then smiled softly and opened his arms.

A softly spoken "Naruto" was all it took for the blond to dive into his twin's arms, shoulders already shaking from heavy sobs as the red chakra dispersed. Iruka smiled in relief as he watched the sibling embrace. A hand landed on his shoulder, making him jump. He looked up and found the dog Anbu standing over him.

"Good job." The man's voice was intentionally gruff and Iruka grinned tiredly while wincing as the pain from his burnt hands and a bite wound on his arm settled in his mind now that the panic was dispersing.

"I didn't really do anything." He murmured as he cupped his arm to trying and stem the bleeding.

"I think we should move everyone to the hospital now." The Anbu spoke quietly as his hands blurred through a serious of hands signs that apparently meant something to the Anbu still surrounding the place as they sprung into action, disappearing from Iruka's site as silent as they came. Two grabbed the still shaking instructor that started this whole situation and dragged him away.

The dog Anbu then walked over to the twins and knelt close to them as Natsuki's eyes focused on him over Naruto's shoulder.

"Come on kiddos. We need to take you guys and your sensei to the hospital."

"I-I'm not their sensei!" Iruka spluttered out.

The man tilted his head towards him and Iruka had a feeling he was laughing silently at him, but his voice was completely serious when he said with absolute certainty "After today you are."

Before he could question the mans' answer he was distracted by the watery blue eyes of the eldest Uzumaki twin. If his arm wasn't still bleeding quite profusely he would have scooped both the boys up and held them close. Instead, he smiled softly at the two.

"Come on boys, let's head over to the hospital, okay?"

Natsuki glanced worriedly at his brother and nodded solemnly despite being the first one to be injured. The Anbu picked both the boys up without preamble and the four of them took to the roof towards the hospital.

Iruka glanced down at the empty streets as a knot started to form in his stomach. The twins were okay, but he couldn't help but worry about the outcome of Naruto losing control of the Kyuubi's chakra. He bit his lip as he turned his gaze to the two boy's nestled safety in the Anbu's arms. He could only hope the Hokage would be able to handle this without putting the two through any more grief.

*

Hiruzen sighed deeply as the civilian council shouted over each other like children. There were times he honestly thought of some of these people as children, at times that was the only way he could understand their logic.

This was one of those times. After all, a student had been injured by an instructor and the council was trying to pin the blame on a child. He cast his gaze over the other shinobi in the room. Heads of families, the captain of the Anbu, the director of the TI department and others that formed the ninja council. They were more of a mixed bag over this issue. Which was both fortunate and unfortunate.

He sighed once more and tried to call the group to attention. It took a few tries to get the civilians to calm down, but once the room was silent again he frowned in a patented expression of disapproval.

"A child was assaulted by a teacher," He flicked his gaze to each face in the room "…and you want to punish his brother."

It wasn't a question.

"The child, in question, houses half of the Nine-Tailed Fox. He nearly lost control in the presence of other children and injured a chunin while rabid."

He should have known Danzo wouldn't be on his side for this one. However, despite Danzo's words, he could see the skepticism on the faces of several key members. He settled back in his chair, if there was one thing being Hokage taught him it was to start the conversation and let it play out with little interference.

"The children were escorted away and no harm was done to them, other than being shaken over the whole situation. The chunin, one Iruka Umino, has released a statement to the TI department claiming that he willing put himself into the situation that led to his injuries and therefore the child, Naruto Uzumaki, is not to blame." Ibiki did not look up from the stack of papers sitting in from of him, but his voice was as firm as ever.

"I hardly think we can count the children as simply "shaken". They were exposed to the Kyuubi's chakra. A chakra that is known for its corrosive nature." Haishi replied just as firmly. Hiruzen noted silently to himself that the Hyuuga's eldest daughter was in that class along with many other clan children.

"Has your daughter experienced nausea, uncontrollable shaking, shortness of breath or other shock symptoms? If not, then I will continue to count her as shaken. None of the children has been hospitalized beside the Uzumaki twins and Umino at this point in time, therefore they will not be counted as casualties in my report." The director of the Torture and Interrogation Department was apparently not in the mood to be contradicted.

Hiruzen hid his smile with practiced ease. The man was gruff and intimidating, but he had always had a soft spot for Kushina. It warmed his heart that the man was now defending her sons.

Haishi expression didn't change, but his lips tightened slightly.

"The Uchiha boy was sent to the hospital." Danzo supplied mildly, his eye sharply assessing the mood of the people in the room.

"The healer that tended to Sasuke Uchiha reported that the boy suffered a mild panic attack coupled with a flashback due to seeing the younger Uzumaki injured at the hands of the instructor," Ibiki replied.

However, the civilian council started to look more angry at the mention of the Uchiha boy and other children.

"The children were right next to the monster. Who know what it could have done to them?" One murmured.

"Damn demon threatening our children, again." Another muttered while scowling.

"While we are on the subject of the instructor…" He spoke, guiding the conversation away from the twins smoothly. "Have you managed to pull a statement out of him as of yet? Is there a reason he attacked Natsuki Uzumaki in front of the rest of the class?"

Ibiki's perpetual frown deepened as his glance up at him. "He claims that the younger Uzumaki was mocking him in class and continuously refused to pay attention during his lectures. He apparently thought it was an appropriate punishment to use the boy as a lesson for the rest of the class by forcing him to spar him."

"Physical training doesn't start until later. Are you saying he made a child who was never taught to fight, spar him and didn't go easy on him?" Tsume, clan head of the Inuzuka, questioned loudly her eyebrow drawn down in confused frustration.

"Yes," Ibiki replied shuffling his papers briefly before seemingly finding the report he was looking for. "From what the healers were able to tell Natsuki Uzumaki received a severe head trauma from skull fracture along with a broken nose and abdominal bruising. However, the boy is fully healed now. The healers deduced that the half of the Kyuubi's chakra inside him sped up his healing to a phenomenal level. When entering the hospital he only had the bruising and that was quickly fading."

"Then what's the problem?! The demon brat is healed, the instructor did no lasting damage to him! If the thing was disrupting the class then it's what he deserves!"

"So, you think that physical punishment is acceptable?" Haishi murmured deathly soft, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You think that my daughter should be punished that way, should she ever step out of line? How about your son, he is in the class as well, is he not?"

The councilman, who had made the exclamation, shrunk back in his seat, flushing a dark shade of red. "N-no, but it w-was the demon b-brat."

"If it is acceptable for one child than it is acceptable for all the children." Hiruzen stepped in once more. "Frankly speaking, however, I do not think that is an acceptable punishment for a child much less an untrained child."

"Yes, the actions the instructor took were unprofessional for a teacher of Konoha. He should be reprimanded." Danzo interjected. "However, there is still the issue of the other child. Although there were no casualties, other than Umino, there was mass panic when the Kyuubi's chakra was felt by the nearby civilians, genin, and chunin. The circumstance are regrettable, but something must be done."

Murmurs of agreement filled the air and Hiruzen held back another sigh. This was the man's goal all along it seemed. He had no doubt his old friend would have made a "suggestion" of what he thinks should be done on the matter if Ibiki had not interjected once again.

"There is one other casualty, which my subordinates listed." Ibiki shifted his papers again. "The eldest Uzumaki, Naruto, has been hospitalized due to first and second-degree burns along his body. He also seems to be suffering from chakra exhaustion as well, therefore he was listed as a casualty."

"The other boy was fine within a half hour despite having a skull fracture and his twin can't heal a few burns?" Danzo asked mildly, his eye flashing.

Hiruzen had wondered how long he could get away with hiding this little fact about the twins. He supposed it was good that this came out now, instead of when the children began to learn how to utilize their chakra.

"The seal on the Natsuki is different from Naruto." All the eyes turned to him as he explained quietly. "From what I understand the pregnancy and birth itself were difficult for the mother. While Naruto was born very healthy and able to house half of the Kyuubi, Natsuki was born without functioning chakra system and very little chakra. When placing the other half of the Kyuubi inside him Minato adjusted the seal in order to allow him to use the Kyuubi's chakra as his own. The child was monitored for a full year after his birth and it seems the chakra adapted to his body shockingly well, and now functions as if it were his own. Naruto, on the other hand, has his own chakra reserves with the other half of the Kyuubi's chakra sealed tightly making his healing ability weaker than his brothers."

"Comparatively. A Uzumaki with a bijuu isn't exactly the standard for healing." Shikaku muttered his hands still folded over his eyes from when the civilian were shouting at one another.

"True. Their healing capability is unmatched." He conceded.

He nearly scowled when Danzo spoke up again, his single eye gleaming the same way they did when he "suggested" he keep his distance from the twins once they started the academy. "That seems to be rather dangerous. How do we know, Natsuki wouldn't lose control. It would be worse than his twins rage today. It seems we've been focusing on the wrong twin in terms of danger to the public."

Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly. He was too old for this political dance with words. This meeting was going nowhere and he was not going to play this game anymore. Not today.

"No. Minato Namikaze was a genius seal master taught by the best of the best. Natsuki is not a threat." He leveled a firm stare at all of the occupants of the room. "I think I've heard quite enough today. An instructor attacked an unarmed, untrained student, hurting him severely. His brother reacted naturally to the injustice and no one else was severely injured during his loss of control. In light of this incident, the instructor will be removed from his position and stripped of his titles. I will not have a man willing to put a child life in danger over mild disobedience anywhere near children, or even on active duty. The Uzumaki twins, being six years old, will not receive any punishment nor will they be removed from the school. They are the victims of this situation and I will not hear a word otherwise."

His declaration was met with protest, but he ignored it as he stood and made his way to the door. He had a pair of twins to visit and chunin to thank personally. He also had a certain instructor to talk to after he made sure the children were alright...

*

Shikamaru stared up at the ceiling blankly. His fingers laid on his chest in a familiar position as he sorted through the events of today. It had started out fairly normal but descended into a nightmare when he watched someone he had started to consider a friend beaten down by their instructor and his twin go completely rabid.

Shikamaru wasn't a stupid child.

From that moment forward his mind had continued to spin, piecing together the puzzle even as his mother clutched him to her chest and refused to leave him alone until it was time for bed. His mind never stopped analyzing and reanalyzing the situation.

Now, as he laid there unable to sleep, the puzzle was becoming clear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter explains the state of Kurama "seal" a little bit more, but if you have some more questions feel free to ask. I promise more explanations with crop up later in the story, but essentially Kurama's seal is sort of for show. He still uses his own chakra and, of course, possesses his mind and memories. The biggest restraint on him at this point is being stuck in a human body.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Childhood arc wraps up with some fluff.

It took longer than usual for Iruka to wake up with the painkillers the healers gave him. He blinked blearily up at the white ceiling trying to put his thoughts and memories in order. He could feel the faint throbbing of his hands and arms, but he knew that his wounds were almost completely healed. He'd probably be sent home by the end of the day. Speaking of which, he turned his eyes to the window wondering if he could tell how long he slept. Seeing that it was getting dark he tried to sit up only to find he was pinned down with two little bodies.

He smiled bemusedly down at the two twins curled up on the bed with him. He was certain that they had been on the other bed in the room when he had drifted to sleep. He was glad they were okay, besides some burns on Naruto from his outburst. He was worried when he first saw the burns. It was heartbreaking to watch as Naruto clung to his twins with tears in his eyes despite the fact that every movement pained him.

A chuckled dragged him from his thoughts. He looked up and nearly jumped a mile when he realized the Hokage was sitting by his bedside. Embarrassed that he couldn't bow properly to his leader he stuttered out a formal greeting, hoping that he didn't have any drool on his face. "H-Hokage-sama! I'm honored by your presence here, um, I apologize if I kept you waiting."

He tried not to wince at his own awkwardness and rubbed Natsuki's back when the boy showed signs of waking due to the noise. The older man, thankfully, did not look offended and instead look amused.

"It's quite alright, Umino-san, I enjoyed the quiet after a full council meeting."

Iruka blushed slightly, wanting to ask why the man was here, but not knowing what to say. He had only met the Hokage a few times and it had always been with other people present. Instead of saying anything, he shifted himself into a sitting position, carefully, so he did not wake the other occupants of the bed.

"I want to thank you, Umino-san." The Hokage started quietly. "I know of your past and I am grateful that you were able to move past it and befriend these two. I'm not sure what would have happened if you had not been there today, but I can imagine that it would have been a lot worse."

Iruka ducked his head in embarrassment. "I-I didn't do much, really."

"Really?" The old man smiled in a grandfatherly way. "That's not what I heard. One of my most trusted Anbu said that you bravely tried to reason with Naruto and when he tried to attack another Anbu you held the boy to your chest until Natsuki woke despite the pain it caused you."

"Well, a-anyone would have…" He trailed off knowing that was a lie.

"Perhaps for a different child." The Hokage acknowledge. "But, despite Minato's and my best wishes no one treats these two like normal children. Except for you."

"I-I didn't always treat them well either. Well, I hadn't met them until the day after the massacre, but I-after I got to know them I realized that they are just kids and it was wrong to think of them as...well…" He trailed off again not wanted to break the law with the Hokage sitting right next to him.

"Jinchuuriki are not the bijuu they contain. That is an established fact, but it seems to be a hard concept for the average person to understand."

"To be fair, a lot of people died." Iruka's mind flashed to his parents. "Shinobi die in battle often, but that was more…personal, no, it was more seemingly impossible. A bijuu is-was scarier than being attacked by other shinobi, other humans."

"Yes, not to mention the fact that the Kyuubi is the most powerful." The Hokage agreed. "Before it was sealed the Nine-tails was often called the "age-old natural disaster" due to its insane strength. With the death of many family members and friends, it's understandable that people wanted a scapegoat, but it's saddening that two children had to bear the burden of a villages grief."

Iruka nodded as he stroked Naruto's hair. The burns on the boy's face were already fading. He was sure that he'd only have a light sunburn by tomorrow. He pulled Natsuki a little closer to him, still marveling over the fact that the child was completely healed now. He had been so worried when he saw the boy passed out in a pool of his own blood, but apparently, the Kyuubi was good for something if only because he kept the younger Uzumaki alive and well. He tightened his grip on both of them, ignoring the sharp pain that move caused his own wounds. Neither boy stirred from their slumber. He wasn't sure what he'd do if he had lost either of them.

Somehow the boys had become very dear to his heart over the course of the last few months. He was only just starting to realize how much he cared now that there had been a threat to their safety. He wondered, slightly, hysterically if this is what a parent felt like when their child was injured.

A shift from his left had his attention snapping sheepishly to the Hokage once more.

The elder man simply smiled at him. "I wanted to reward you Umino-san, for what you've done today. You will receive pay for an A rank mission on top of you hospital bill being paid for by the village council. I would also like to offer the now open teaching position for Naruto and Natsuki's class."

"I…" Iruka's eyes were wide and he tried to formulate a response. "I just finished my tests and paperwork…they haven't been graded yet and, and A rank? I-I'm grateful but I don't think that…"

The Hokage raised his hand cutting off Iruka's stuttered attempt at rejection. "You will receive the money and I would like you to consider the teaching position. The class won't start again for another two days giving the academy enough to grade and review your paperwork which I am sure is more than acceptable for you to be allowed to teach. Of course, you will be assigned an assistant for the first few month, but I think you'll be wonderful for the position even if it is your first time. Think on it Umino-san. I will admit that I believe this will not just beneficial for you."

He glanced meaningfully toward the now stirring twins. Iruka watched them blink blearily, rubbing their eyes tiredly as they tried to wake up fully.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." He murmured quietly.

"Don't thank me Umino-san. You did a good dead today." The older man stood slowly. "I'll take my leave now. The paperwork for your release is on the table. I already filled out Naruto and Natsuki's forms."

Iruka nodded silently, his mind racing as he continued to run his hands through the twins' hair.

*

While Kurama was grateful that everything worked out, in the end, he wasn't sure about the effect that it had on his twin. He eyed his brother out of the corner of his eye. The blond was sitting next to him, practically touching him, fidgeting in his boredom. Kurama had been trying to read on the couch for the past twenty minutes. Naruto had insisted on sitting with him but had very quickly grown bored.

"If you're bored why don't you do something else? Like, draw?" He asked dryly, already knowing the answer.

Just like he had expected Naruto striated up and gave him a blinding smile. "Nah, I'm okay! I'm not bored at all!"

Iruka glanced over at them in amusement from the kitchen. Kurama barely reframed from pinching his nose in frustration. Naruto had stuck to him like a leech ever since they had left the hospital yesterday and didn't show any signs of stopping. Kurama did want to snap at his brother, but he was already trying to reign in his frustration over being so weak during the whole incident.

"Naruto," Iruka interjected. "Why don't you come over her and help stir the soup as I cut the vegetables."

The blonds' reluctance was obvious, but he eventually trudged over to the kitchen to help the man. Kurama shook his head and shot Iruka a grateful look. Taking a deep breath he tried to go back to his book but found he still couldn't concentrate. It felt like his anger was boiling in his blood as his mind kept going back to his one-sided fight with the instructor. The injuries he received had long healed, but the sting of defeat had not.

He was Kurama. The Kyuubi; the most powerful bijuu and he was defeated so easily by a human.

He had known he was weak in this form but have that fact thrown in his face in such a way made him grind his teeth. If the other bijuu ever heard of this, they would mock him. After all the years he had held his power over their heads they would not hesitate to take their revenge.

He closed his eyes in frustration.

He had thought he accepted his current state of being. He had known that he was weak as a human, a human child no less, but to have it thrown in his face in such a manner was enraging. He took a deep breath to try and calm his anger.

If he couldn't even protect himself…who would protect Naruto?

Calloused hand removed the book from his own and held his hand gently. He opened his eyes and looked warily into Iruka's brown orbs. The man smiled softly.

"The strongest people fail, then use that failure to become better." Iruka murmured. "You should have never been put in that situation, but since you were you can learn this lesson early and grow from it."

Kurama smiled faintly at the advice. Iruka was a really nice man. "Thank you Iruka-sensei. I…I will try to keep that in mind."

The man nodded and grinned. "That's good. Now, it's time for dinner and I think your brother is getting very impatient."

Kurama nodded and followed the man to the table.

Even if he was weaker than his former self, there were positive things. He met Naruto and Iruka after all. If he had continued his existence as a bijuu he would still be in his seal. He would have never known how interesting and good humans could be. He would have probably even hated Naruto for being his host.

He was weak now, but he could get stronger.

He had to believe in that.

The next day went by just as quickly as the last and before Kurama knew it his brother and he were heading back to class. He glanced around the room noting the tense atmosphere. It seemed as though everyone was avoiding them. He grimaced slightly, having expected this reaction but wishing it wouldn't have to be this way for Naruto sake, at least.

He tightened his grip on Naruto's' hand as they settled in their usual spot. He wanted to turn around at check with Shikamaru and Choji to see where they stood with them after the incident, but Iruka was walking into class, so he turned his attention to their new teacher.

Class went smoothly as it could, after what happened, but Iruka was very good at keeping the student's attention and engaging them. His easy attitude towards the two of them also helped Naruto relaxed enough to start asking questions and participating more, which made Kurama happy.

That was the problem with the other instructor. His hatred of the two of them made Naruto hesitant in learning.

He hoped that without the influence of their instructor that the rest of the class would warm up to them as well. He knew Naruto really wanted to make lots of friends and considering they would definitely be working with most of their classmates in the future Kurama thought it prudent to build relationships now. He also liked Shikamaru and Choji well enough, so he figured that he wouldn't mind meeting the other students and seeing how well he got along with them.

After class, he turned around only to meet the searching eyes on one Shikamaru Nara. He blinked, slightly taken back by the intensity of the stare. Naruto shrunk back a little when turned around and smile uncertainty at the silent boy. Shikamaru's eyes flicked to him and assessed him as well. Choji looked between the three of them, obviously not filled in on the reason Shikamaru was acting strangely.

They stared at one another for a minute before Shikamaru finally sighed.

"You two are too troublesome." He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "I can't believe I'm friends with you. So, troublesome…"

Natsuki smiled in bemusement, while Naruto burst into a huge grin. He had a sneaking suspicion that Shikamaru had put some pieces together, but if the boy wasn't going to let it affect their friendship Kurama found that he didn't mind much.

Later that night Kurama sighed softly as Naruto continued to clutch him as if he would disappear. He ran his hands through his twins blond hair before forcing the stubborn boy to look him in the eye.

"That's not going to happen again." He said firmly. "Do you know why?"

Naruto shook his head his eyes glinting with frustrated fear over almost losing his twin.

Kurama smiled softly, recalling Iruka's words. "It's not going to happen again because we are going to get stronger. Strong enough to defend ourselves and beat anyone who tries to hurt us."

"When I become Hokage…" Naruto whispered back. "I'll protect you from all the bad guys."

Kurama laughed quietly. "No, Naruto, we'll protect each other."

The smile he received was smaller than usual but somehow more heartfelt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This'll be the last chapter for today. I'll upload the rest tomorrow. Including the new one hopefully.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some complications of being human with bijuu chakra.

Hiruzen frowned as he looked over the bios laid out on his desk. After being the Hokage for so many years he had learned how to minimize his workload to some extent. One of the ways he found helped prevent all-nighters was looking at the bios of the academy students and familiarizing himself with their personalities before they took the exam. By doing this he could, for the most part, accurately predict who would pass and fail the test along with getting a head start on formulating the teams.

This should have been easy, considering the large amounts of clan heirs in the class, but there was one issue. Or more accurately, two issues, the Uzumaki twins.

Konoha never had a large population of twins, like some other hidden villages did. He had sorted only three pairs in twins since he took the role of Hokage. There were some within civilian families, but clans very rarely had twins, so only a few graduated the academy over the years he has been Hokage. His mind drifted briefly to the last pair of twins he sorted into teams and held back a grimace. He didn't have much of a say when it came to clan politics, Konoha's old law protected them, but remembering Hiashi Hyuga's heartbroken face after his brother died always made him regret his inability to interfere. He could only hope this pair of twins didn't meet the same fate as the Hyuga's.

He knew that he could not separate them like Danzo and members of the civilian council had suggested. He understood the argument of allowing the twins to form their own independence from one another. He had, after all, used that argument before to assign the Hyuga twins. However, since Naruto and Natsuki were Jinchuuriki for the same bijuu he worried over separating them for an extended period of time. They, unlike the Hyuga twins, did not have a family pushing the younger to protect his older brother at all costs. Instead, however, Naruto and Natsuki had an entire village poisoned against them for their very existence. He knew Kakashi would treat the well, but he couldn't guarantee another jounin would if he were to separate them. The two had put up a united front to defend one another over the years, he didn't want to be the one to rip that apart. No, he sighed deeply, he would keep them together.

However, that left the third member of the group still undecided. Statistically, they had a two to one ratio of boys and girls graduating the academy which led to the Konoha tradition of a two boy one girl team, but considering the teacher he wanted to give the twins he knew he couldn't add the top civilian girl to their team. He glanced thoughtfully over at the Uchiha boys file. Although in different ways, the Uchiha and the Uzumaki twins had both suffered greatly during their childhood. While the twins' life got better with the influence of one Iruka Umino, the last Uchiha of Konoha's had only gotten worse as he rejected the help and counseling and instead fell further into his own despair and lust for revenge. From the reports he gathered, it seemed as though the boy had isolated himself from his classmates and responded to those who bested him in an extremely unhealthy manner.

He knew that when the boy awakened his Sharingan he would need a teacher who could help him, but there was only one now. He knew that Kakashi wasn't exactly the best teacher, but the man had made a genuine effort over the last several years in hopes of becoming the twin's teacher. He couldn't deny that request, but he also had to make sure the last Uchiha had a suitable teacher as well or else the council would throw an absolute fit.

He sighed. It would be a gamble, dysfunctional genin teams always were, but hopefully, despite the personality clashes, everything would turn out alright.

Moving on he analyzed the other reports and sorted them into potential teams and found the process to be a lot easier. Konoha had long established the best teams for the clan members and there were enough civilians to fill out a team or two even if some failed. He tapped his chin thoughtfully wondering if he could get support from the council for a campaign to encourage more civilian children to join the academy. Minato's success had proven to him that having new blood in the shinobi ranks could be extremely beneficial, but the number of civilian children joining was slowly going down since the last war.

He noted that idea on a blank page before moving on to other paperwork. The Hokage's job was never finished, after all.

He didn't notice the memo from Iruka, due to the surplus of paperwork overflowing his desk.

*

Kurama eyed his messy of a mop he called hair with slight disdain before attempting to brush the orange locks so that he could braid them properly. He was pleased with being able to braid his hair into submission now that it was waist length, but he was less pleased with the fact that he now looked like a short, orange haired Madara Uchiha when his hair was loose. That wasn't even fair.

After braiding his hair he sorted through his clothes trying to decide what to wear. He settled on a simple white, sleeveless han juban with a moss green haori tied by a gray obi and plain black pants cut off a few inches below his knee. Iruka had noticed his preference for traditional clothing and bought him the outfit a few months ago. He stepped out of the bathroom and walked passed his still sleeping brother to begin breakfast.

Today was the last day before they took the exam and though he would never admit aloud, he was slightly nervous. Over the course of the last seven years, he learned that his chakra wasn't always compatible with the certain ninjutsus, especially the low-ranking ones due to its potency. Even if he was in a human body, his chakra was still that of a bijuus. While Iruka had worked with Naruto to focus more and limit the amount of chakra he used Kurama didn't have that option. He could limit the amount of chakra he used for e-level ninjutsus, but there was always a large chance it'd blow up in his face due to the intensity of his chakra.

The logs he tried to use for the body replacement jutsu were charred and crumbling and he often ended up further away than he meant too. All of his clones were fried, making them steam and look sickly even when he used the barest trickle of chakra to make them. The only thing he was good at was the genjutsu, ironically enough allowing him to excel with the transformation jutsu because his chakra gave the illusion substance making it more difficult to sense and dispel.

He could tell Iruka and Naruto were worried. If he was honest with himself, he was worried as well. He had no doubt that he could use higher level ninjutsus after all Iruka had already shown him some extra jutsu to test this theory, but that wasn't what was required to pass the test. Students had to know the basics. A child could ace the written test, but fail the ninjutsus and fail the test completely.

Iruka was hoping that if he showed the instructors that he was capable of learning a higher level ninjutsus or even the wall walking technique, to prove that he could control his chakra, then that would allow him to pass. However, the academy officials were being stubborn, according to the man, and had been delaying their answer. Now it was the day before the test and they had not heard a word from them.

Kurama had half a mind to march up to the Hokages' offices and see what the old man said about this whole matter. He would not accept failing to become a genin because of this nonsense. For now, he simply finished breakfast and began the long morning ritual of trying to wake his brother in enough time for the other boy to eat while still making it to school on time. He managed to force Naruto into less blinding clothes, a mesh shirt and high-necked black jacket with orange stripes on the sleeves with some dark orange pants- he couldn't make his twin give those up- before they rushed to school.

They did make it to class in time which garnered a proud grin from Iruka. The man had continued to spend nearly every day with them for that last seven years, teaching them and treating them like family. Kurama was sure that the only reason he hadn't adopted them was due to the council's disapproval. They settled in their seats and waited for class to begin as Kurama tried to keep the frustration off of his face. All they did was review for the exam at this point and although he knew most of the answers for the written test he knew he would fail the ninjutsus again. The most frustrating part was the fact that he had to do it in front of the class, opening him up to ridicule by the other children who didn't understand why he failed, just that he did. He didn't care for their opinion of him, but it was getting annoying to hear them giggling and making comments behind his back.

"Honestly, you already have good chakra control. You can prove that by walking on walls or doing higher level jutsus. I don't get why they won't let you do those as part of your exam instead. So, troublesome."

Kurama sent a faint smile to the brown haired boy behind him. Shikamaru had been voicing his opinion on the subject more vocally the past few days, showing his ire in the situation in his own way; by complaining.

"Iruka-sensei is trying to talk to the academy officials, but they aren't responding." He murmured back.

"That's just not fair." Choji piped up. The boy crunched on more chips in obvious frustration. "You can already do other ninjutsus and the wall walking control exercises. We aren't technically supposed to learn that until we get our jounin instructors, after the exam. That should qualify you."

"Yeah, Iruka taught us that 'cause we needed control before we could even learn the basics. But it's stupid that they won't let Natsu do anything else to pass." Naruto replied, frowning for once.

Kurama shook his head. "They just don't like me I suppose."

He had said it mildly, but Shikamaru's eyes sharpened and a grimaced passed over his face. "So, that's what this is about. Troublesome…"

Naruto's eyes' darken and he opened his mouth, but Iruka called everyone's attention before he could say anything. Shikamaru had never outright talked about his knowledge, but he had dropped enough hints over the years for Kurama to know for certain that the other boy knew about their status as Jinchuuriki. Kurama mind drifted to the day he had talked to Naruto about the situation. He hadn't wanted to leave Naruto in the dark, but at the same time…

_"We have a monster inside of us?!"_

He never wanted to see Naruto's tear stained face, but there he was, staring at the distraught boys tear filled eyes.

_Evil._

_Demon._

_Monster._

He let out a shaky breath and forced himself to turn his attention back to Iruka when he started asking some questions that would be on the exam. Iruka was kind, but he took his job very seriously and students who daydream often found themselves asked multiple difficult questions. As much as Iruka cared for the two of them, he didn't let it affect his treatment of them in the classroom and was just as hard on them as he was the other students.

He took a shuddering breath and began to participate in the review.

Finally, after Iruka finished his review for the written exam he beckoned everyone to the front of the class for the practical review. They'd go over the ninjutsus before heading outside for sparing and kunai/ shuriken practice. Kurama grimaced slightly, but followed his brother and got in line. Naruto was on his right side, while Shikamaru was on his left.

"Alright, we'll do clone first, then transformation and finally body replacement with logs." Iruka's eyes flicked to him briefly and Kurama gave him a wane smile.

He steeled himself for his inevitable failure.

He glanced over at Naruto when it was his turn and smiled at the look of utter concentration on his face. Iruka had drilled this ninjutsus into the blond boys head over the years. However, this was Naruto's worst ninjutsu, but if he concentrated hard enough and used as little chakra as he could he could pass. This time, one of his clones look a little pale, but not look as sickly as Kurama's usually did and the other was good.

"Good job, Naruto, all that work paid off, eh?" Iruka grinned as he marked down Naruto's score on his clipboard.

The smile slipped off the man's face when he stepped over to test him and was replaced by a look of concern.

"We already know he can't do it. Why bother wasting everyone's time?" Sasuke asked peevishly from the other side of Shikamaru.

Iruka sent him a look but didn't reply. Kurama thought it was a decent question if it hadn't come from the Uchiha. The boy had been getting on his nerves as the years past with his attitude and treatment of Naruto, who had tried so hard to befriend to him. Since Iruka didn't have an answer Kurama carefully molded his fingers into the right position bringing up a tiny speck of his chakra.

He watched silently as the two clones he summoned collapse on the floor within half a second, while wilting and steaming slightly. Since he started to learn how to wield chakra as a human he had learned more than he thought he would. As a bijuu, he never really needed the careful control humans focused on, because he, himself, was made out of chakra. As he adjusted to a human body he realized why the humans valued control. All of their ninjutsus/genjutsus required a specific amount of chakra, formed in a specific way for the jutsu to function the way it should. It was like having a specific key for one lock. Kurama had enough control over his chakra, but the chakra itself was inherently different. It was more pure or potent, which overpowered the low-level ninjutsus he attempted.

He ignored the laughter from the other students and dispelled the clones. Iruka gave him a sympathetic look and moved on to Shikimaru. Kurama forced his face into a neutral expression despite his rolling emotions. He had spent so much time over the last seven years trying to learn how to fight like a human and get stronger, but he couldn't even manage the basics. It was endlessly frustrating.

Naruto's hand found his own and Kurama sent a small smile at the blond.

He knew he shouldn't worry so much, surely the Hokage wouldn't allow him to fail because of this nonsense, but every day that passed without a word from the man made him question his conviction.

"Okay, very good everyone. Let's move onto the body transformation jutsu. Remember to pay attention to details. Sakura, you start."

Kurama waited patiently for his turn mulling over the only e-level genjutsu he was capable of at the moment. He had never put much thought into illusions before he became human. He had never been affected by them, not counting the nonsense Madara pulled. That was Sharingan induced and he frankly didn't count it. Genjutsu had never affected him when he was a full bijuu and he had never considered using it for that same reason. In fact, he had never considered learning anything about the human jutsus before being turned into one. He was more than a little ashamed at his complete lack of knowledge once he started learning and now he was curious as to how far he could push an illusion.

Could he reach a point where no one could distinguish his illusion from reality?

That would be extremely useful as a shinobi. He knew the Mangekyō Sharingan had a similar ability if one awoke it, which he was certain Itachi Uchiha did do before he massacred his clan. He wondered if he could create something similar or whether he even wanted to try.

He watched as his brother formed the hand signs and shifted, with a poof of white smoke, into a copy of their instructor like everyone else before him had done. Iruka smiled as he analyzed the illusion for mistakes.

"The Konoha symbol on my forehead protector is backward again and the jacket is a slightly lighter color, but your posture and facial expression are very good Naruto."

The blond grinned as he let go of the genjutsu and changed back with another poof of white smoke. Kurama barely caught the sly look that flashed across his brother's face and nearly groaned when he did. After months of tinkering, the boy had finally managed to finish his "masterpiece" last night. He pitied Iruka for his ignorance over what was about to occur.

"Iruka-sensei, guess what!" The blond grinned widely. "I created a new genjutsu! Wanna see?! I'll show ya!"

His hands form the appropriate signs and suddenly there was a tall female blonde standing his place. A tall, naked female with only a few well-placed bits of smoke hovering around almost taunting in nature. "She" smiled coyly at the gaping instructor while the rest of the class panicked. He put his head in his hands and heard Shikamaru sigh beside him.

"Your brother is something else, Natsuki." The browned eyed boy murmured.

Kurama muttered a cursed under his breath. "I told him not to do this during class."

Iruka, after a full minute of gaping, smacked Naruto over the head and subsequently dispelled the weak illusion. He was practically snarling as his eyes promised punishment, even while blood still leaked from his nose.

"Naruto Uzumaki." He growled lowly. "Stay after class."

The blond in question grinned and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

It took several minutes for Iruka to settle the class down, but he managed to while still sending dirty looks at the still sheepish Naruto. Once everyone had quieted down the door opened and Mizuki, Iruka's assistant teacher, walked in with the logs they were supposed to use for the body switching jutsu. The white haired man raised an eyebrow in a silent question, to which Iruka only sighed.

"Natsuki, it's your turn."

Kurama nodded and concentrated on his chakra. He didn't even need to form any hands sign, instead, he merely directed his chakra to do what he wanted. He felt the illusion slide over him, like a cloak, as he opened his eyes and shifted his posture to match Iruka. His face fell into an easy grin that he had seen on the man's face often over the years.

The grin made its appearance on the man's face, now, as he inspected his illusion. "Very good, Natsuki. A perfect copy!"

He nodded and let the genjutsu expel as Iruka turned to Shikamaru.

"Good, Shikamaru, but you need to work on posture."

"Very good, Sasuke, try to mimic my expression, though."

He continued down the line giving advice and marking down the scores of each of the students as Mizuki set up the logs on the other side of the room. Iruka marked an 'x' on the floor to demonstrate where they were supposed to land after replacing themselves with the log and they began the final ninjutsu. Natsuki's log didn't combust like it occasionally did, but he didn't land on the 'x' either, so it couldn't be counted as much of a win. He tried not to glare when Sasuke smirked at him after completing the task perfectly nor when the boy's fangirls cheered loudly in response to his success. His only joy was that the Uchiha seemed just as annoyed with the girls as he was.

"Okay everyone, let move outside for target practice, then sparing."

The target practice was easy, Iruka had drilled perfection into them until their hands ached, but sparing was an interesting endeavor. After hours upon hours of practice over the years, Kurama was at the top of the class with Sasuke. Thus, he and the Uchiha were usually sparing partners. Naruto still acted like a drunk brawler much to Iruka's annoyance. It was always interesting to fight the boy, even if Kurama didn't like him much. While Sasuke was taller and physically stronger than him Kurama was faster and more cunning. He also wasn't afraid to fight dirty, unlike his proud opponent.

Today, Sasuke charged at him immediately with a kick followed by several quick punches to the solar plexus. Kurama slid to the side, twirling around him and attempted to elbow his open side. Sasuke blocked and spun around with a kick to the head. He ducked and swiped at the boy's feet before back flipping out of the way of another kick. Sasuke was on him in a second, but Kurama was in too bad of a mood to lose today. When Sasuke went in for another punch, he caught the other boys' wrist, lock his arm, and threw him to the ground. Keeping his arm locked he pinned the Uchiha down with a knee digging into his back, to prevent him from trying to squirm out of the hold.

"Natsuki wins!" Iruka shouted.

Kurama heard Naruto, Choji, and Shikamaru cheer even as the other students booed or stood there awkwardly like the Hyuga heiress. The dark look he received once they separated and stood made him want to laugh. The boy was so obsessed with getting stronger he was blinded by his own rage whenever Kurama beat him at anything. It was equal parts amusing and annoying.

After class was dismissed Iruka forced Naruto to sit through a long lecture, that had the blond cringing when he started reminding him of the talk they had last year before he sat Naruto down to write lines about public nudity. Once the blond was occupied, he took Kurama to the side to talk about the exam.

"The academy still hasn't contacted me about their answer, but I managed to find out a boy, Rock Lee, from the class ahead of you guys graduated without being able to perform any ninjutsus or genjutsus. I'm going to talk to his jounin instructor today, to see what he did to get around the rules. Other than that, I don't know what else to do but wait. The Hokage has been very busy lately with meetings and paperwork. I don't think he knows about the situation. However, I won't let these people get away with failing you. You're a good student Natsuki, never doubt that I've never seen anyone able to perform genjutsu like you do at such a young age, your taijutsu is definitely genin level and your affinity for the flame type ninjutsus I've shown you prove that you can perform ninjutsus, just not low-level ones. Even if it takes longer than I would have hoped I promise I will make sure you graduate."

Kurama nodded. He knew that look in the man eye. Iruka would definitely keep this promise, biased rule makers be damned. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei."

As a child, who hadn't even graduated yet he couldn't do anything, but hopefully, Iruka could and if he could not then the Hokage definitely could. He resolved not to worry about it and instead focus on doing well on the other parts of the exam. For now, he quietly lectured Naruto on the use of his new genjutsu as they walked home, hoping his wayward brother would not embarrass him by using it in public. He understood that it did take a lot of effort for Naruto to make and it could be useful, maybe, but he also didn't want his brother to be labeled a pervert.

Later that night he watched the moon rise, unobscured by clouds, and wondered why he felt a shiver go down his spine when he considered what the future held for him tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note on Kurama's name. I was scrolling through interwebs trying to find something when I came across Natsuki. What I find amusing about this name, while it's usually given to girls, it can mean two different things depending on how the kanji is written. If written with the kanji for 'Natsu' and 'ki' then it is a lovely name meaning 'summer hope'. However, if it's written with 'Na' and 'tsuki' it means 'vegetable greens moon'. Needless to say, in light of Naruto's own name, I couldn't pass it up. I felt like that was something Kushina would totally do to her son. Also, Naruto will call him Natsu, it's just a nickname.
> 
> Also a note on the clothing. Naruto's clothing is based on his clothes in the new series Boruto. The jacket is the same, but with reversed colors. I'm sorry I have always hated the color orange, that is the best I can give the poor boy. I will not put up with the orange jumpsuit nonsense. Kurama's clothes are based on Nagato/Konen's outfits when they were kids. You can look up the names if you want, but if you don't care just think of an old fashioned undershirt that's tied at the hip and a thigh-length kimono-like jacket with sleeves that end a few inches above the hands.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Konoha needs to seriously consider better background checks for their instructors...

Shikamaru rolled a shogi piece around his fingers as he watched the clouds from his position stretched out in the garden. He could hear his mother moving around the kitchen. A faint frown crossed his face as he listened to her humming. He knew that during dinner she would continue her attempts to get him to actually put effort into the exam tomorrow. She had been trying all week, to his father's amusement, to motivate him. He didn't understand why she bothered. His father had graduated last in the class and still became a great shinobi. The academy scores didn't matter in the long run, so he didn't see the point in putting effort into participating or even answering questions.

All that mattered was passing the final exam.

His mind flashed briefly to tired dark violet eyes, flecked with slivers of red. He had learned over the years that Natsuki's eyes were a good tell for his mood. Their color never seemed to stay the same shade, shifting and changing almost like clouds. It was interesting to watch. Though, he was sure most people would disagree with him.

Shikamaru rolled the shogi piece over the back of his hand.

He sighed softly. It had been a shocking discovery when he was six, but now it was simply frustrating to see the reactions of the people, supposed adults, interacting with the twins. This newest development with the academy only made it more unbearable to stand by and watch.

He readily admitted that he was very lazy, but there was something about those twins that made him want to take action. He found himself hating the moments Naruto lost his smile or when Natsuki curled into himself, his eyes flashing like a cornered cat. It was the same feeling he got when something insulted or belittle Choji for his weight.

However, unlike Choji, they couldn't fight back. Not really. Choji had a kind heart, but his temper could be nasty depending on the circumstances. The risks of insulting an Akimichi's weight was well-known throughout the village. Naruto and Natsuki, on the other hand, were expected to take whatever ridicule is thrown their way. He once saw a woman curse at them in the marketplace, following them and insulting them until Natsuki turn around and took a step toward her in anger. The woman proceeded to run away screaming over how the "awful demon" threatened her. Everyone, of course, believed the woman. More often than not, teachers who caught them skipping class blamed the twins instead of Choji, Shikamaru or Kiba if he had joined them. Iruka-sensei was the only instructor who lectured them all equally.

Considering all of this, Shikamaru should have expected some shenanigans with their graduation, but even so…

He opened his eyes, wondering when he closed them. He slowly relaxed his hand once he realized it was clenching it the shoji piece tight enough to cause pain. He could feel the imprint the shogi tile made on his palm. He wondered vaguely where his dream of a peaceful, unremarkable life went. Because, so far, he seemed to be tangled in something that most definitely did not allow him to detach himself and ignore the world.

For better or for worse, he had not walked away. He didn't avoid them when he had first realized the truth and continued to befriend them.

He was smart enough to realize that didn't lead to a very unremarkable life.

He wondered vaguely why he wasn't as disappointed as he'd thought he'd be at losing his dream of an unremarkable life.

*

The classroom was abnormally quiet when Kurama and Naruto entered. Despite being early, most of the class was in their seat looking decidedly stressed. Kurama sent an amused look towards Shikamaru, slouched over his desk, who was the only one who looked completely unconcerned. Choji, who was inhaling chips beside him, paused for a moment to give them a shaky smile. Naruto bounced over to the boys a grin firmly fixed on his face.

Despite having woken early panicking over the exam, Naruto was putting up a good front. Kurama sent the blond an amused look as he walked over to the group. Apparently, the quizzing they did this morning had calmed him down enough to act normally. Which was more than what could be said for the rest of the class. The top girl, Sakura, was frantically going over her notes, while her hands formed the proper hand signs for the three main jutsus repeatedly. Everyone else looked to be in various states of panic. Even Sasuke looked concerned as he brooded silently in his spot at the front of the class.

Kurama himself wasn't overly panicked, just worried over the fact that Iruka hadn't contacted him to let him know how his meeting with the jounin instructor went. If there wasn't outside factors involved he wouldn't have been worried at all, for himself or for Naruto.

"You don't look very anxious." Shikamaru's words pull Kurama from his thoughts. "Good news?"

Kurama smiled blandly. "No, but at this point, there is nothing I can do."

"Hm." The brunette narrowed his eyes before lowering his head back down on the table. "True, I guess there is no point in stressing over something you can't control."

"Yeah! It's best to just relax!" Naruto beamed. "I'm sure we'll all do great!"

The written portion of the exam was simple. Kurama breezed through the questions on history, math, and protocols with little trouble. He supposed that was the benefit of having a teacher tutoring them nearly every evening for years. He still wasn't all that fond with how Konoha depicted certain events and people in history, but he knew what was needed to pass this exam.

They were led outside after the written portion and began the throwing and sparing portion. While the throwing was fairly easy he was once again paired with Sasuke for the sparing making him grimace. The boy went after him with a vengeance forcing Kurama to continually dodge a hail of swift kicks and punches. Despite his best efforts, several blows landed on his arms and legs making them throbbed painfully.

Kurama jumped backward to try and gain some distance, but Sasuke was quick to chase after him. Seeing no other option Kurama dove for the other boy's feet, diving under a kick and catching Sasuke's other leg to bring him down with him. They grappled on the floor for several seconds before Kurama broke off and flipped to his feet. When Sasuke came into striking distance Kurama was ready. He aimed a kick towards his head before spinning around to aim another kick to the boy's solar plexus. The second kick landed, but the Uchiha trapped his foot, despite his wheezing, and held him there.

"Time!" Mizuki shouted as Iruka wrote down the scores for the both of them.

Sasuke let go of his foot and Kurama stepped away, panting. He was glad that this spar was time and skill based rather than winner based. It looked like Sasuke was going to win that one unless Kurama thought of something quickly. He glanced at his opponent. He was still wheezing and he clutched his chest with a pained grimace on his face, but there was a proud look in his eye proving the other boy knew he would have won.

Kurama tried not to scowl.

Instead, he focused on Naruto's fight with one of the civilian boys. He smiled as Naruto charge with a shout. Despite Iruka's constant complaining over Naruto's brawler tendencies, it didn't mean Naruto was bad. Not only did he have unpredictability on his side but his attacks were strong, if a little sloppy at times. The other boy put up a good fight but Naruto got him with a knee to the groin, which made everyone winced. Needless to say, the boy was down and not getting up.

"A-alright, uh, time." Mizuki glanced at Iruka, who was grinding his palm into his face.

Naruto grinned while rubbing the back of his head. "Ah-ha, sorry 'bout that."

The boy scowled and shoved Naruto's helping hand as he rolled away. Kurama couldn't completely blame the boy, but the flash of hurt that crossed Naruto's face made him frown. The rest of the fights went by quickly after that. Kurama tilted his head back and watched the sky as the other student fought one another, only looking when Shikamaru and Choji fought their opponents.

Soon enough they were back in the classroom for the final portion of the exam.

"Alright. Everyone wait here. When your name in called, enter the adjacent room where you will be tested on your ninjutsu." Iruka looked at everyone sternly. "No funny business, this room is monitored."

With that Iruka and Mizuki left the room.

Kurama sighed and settled down in his normal seat. Naruto was practically bouncing beside him as they waited for the first name to be called.

They waited…

…and waited.

"It's been twenty minutes!" Sakura shouted.

"Why hasn't anyone been called?" Another student asked, looking panicked.

Kurama glanced around at the panicking students in faint amusement despite his own worry. It was amazing how easily everyone panicked when not given any instruction. He wondered just how many of these children would actually become shinobi and how many would simply give up before they could make chunin. He wondered how many would actually go on to become great shinobi. It was hard to tell at this age.

Naruto giggled beside him and he gave the other boy a suspicious look.

"I didn't do nothing." Naruto rolled his eyes. "I just thought that someone must have lost the paperwork or something and Iruka-sensei is probably chewing them out."

Kurama rolled his eyes. Naruto was probably telling the truth, but Kurama had learned to be suspicious over the years when it came to his brother's pranks.

Eventually, a wide-eyed chunin stepped into the room and called the first person. He traded confused glances with his brother, but the chunin left the room with the student before anyone could ask him what caused the delay. Things went quickly after that as students were called and left the room to finish their test. Soon the room was almost empty. Naruto fidgeted nervously beside him.

"Uzumaki, Naruto!" The chunin called with a scowl.

Kurama sent his brother a smile. "You'll do great. Just concentrate."

"Yeah! I'll definitely pass! Believe it!" He pumped his fist in the air and charged out of the room.

Kurama chuckled before letting out a slow breath. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his chakra. The swirling, red energy rushed through his chakra coils. He tried to limit the amount, but he knew it was a lost cause.

"Uzumaki, Natsuki!"

Kurama stood up and walked over to the door. The chunin led him to the testing room with a scowl firmly on his face. Kurama took a deep breath and entered. He froze in the doorway when he noticed the people in the room.

"Hello, Natsuki. Are you ready to finish the exam?"

The Hokage sat with Iruka and Mizuki smoking his pipe and smiling benignly, but there was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that made Kurama almost laugh. Iruka was looking rather proud while Mizuki just looked amused. He now knew the reason the exam started late.

"Ah, yes, I am." Kurama smiled.

"That's good. Iruka came to me yesterday, telling me there were some issues involving the exam and graduation requirements. In light of his concerns, I decided to observe the final portion of the exam. Please do continue." He gestured towards the two chunin instructors before settling back in his chair.

Iruka smiled and shuffled the papers in front of his for a moment before addressing him.

"Okay Natsuki, I want you to perform the transformation jutsu, the body replacement jutsu, and the clone jutsu in that order. Begin when you are ready."

Kurama nodded slowly and summoned his chakra to perform the genjutsu. Glancing briefly at the Hokage he smiled and allowed the illusion to slide over him. He smiled in a familiar grandfatherly way and put the illusionary pipe in his mouth as if he was going to smoke.

"Very good, Natsuki." Iruka grinned as he marked down his score.

He let the illusion slide off before focusing on his chakra while eyeing the log left out for this jutsu. When his hands formed the last sign he felt the sudden rush of air and chakra around him that signaled the completion of the jutsu. He stumbled slightly barely managing to not run face first into the opposite wall. He straightened his clothing and glance back with a frown on his face.

The log was smoking and charred, but it was in the spot it was supposed to be; he let out a silent sigh of relief. Mizuki was smiling bemusedly like he always did when Kurama performed these jutsus, while Iruka was darting his eyes at the Hokage. The old man in question, however, didn't say anything. Iruka seemed to realize that the Hokage wasn't planning on saying anything and gave him a small smile before marking down his score.

"Well, that was certainly better than some of your previous attempts at this jutsu. Now, perform the final for us, please."

Kurama walked back to his spot, nudging the charred log out of the way, as he attempted not to scowl. He focused on his chakra again as his hands moved slowly through the proper hand signs. Many of his classmates, including Naruto, didn't need to go through all hand signs, but if he wanted the jutsu to even halfway work he had to complete every hand sign to control his chakra enough not to make his clones explode. He closed his eyes briefly as he completed the jutsu. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and glanced at the two clones beside him.

They were both lying on the ground, looking extremely sickly as they steamed pathetically.

He sighed.

"Well…" Iruka began, but the Hokage cut him off with a chuckle.

"I remember another young student who had the very same trouble that you have, Natsuki. Because of her inability to perform the simplest of jutsus, many people thought that she wouldn't succeed as a shinobi. She was very stubborn, however, and ignored all the critics. Needless to say, I was very proud the day I awarded her the Jounin status many years later."

He leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Iruka has notified me that you are capable of completing higher level jutsus, much like that young woman I mentioned. With that in mind, I will pass you despite not completing all of the required jutsu to standard. Keep training and I am positive that you will become a wonderful shinobi."

A slow smile crossed his face as his anxiety over the situation faded away. Iruka picked up one of the headbands in front of his and moved to kneel in front of him.

"Congratulation, Natsuki, you've graduated." The brown haired man whispered as he tied the cloth around his forehead.

Kurama reached up and touched the cool metal feeling both amused and strangely proud. He glanced at the three adults in the room, wondering how they would react to the knowledge of who he really was. Would they still be so proud? Or…

He cut off that train of thought viciously and bowed to the Hokage and instructors allowing his hair to cover his sudden change in mood. There was no point in thinking of what ifs. It only depressed him and this was supposed to be a happy moment.

"Alright, your brother's probably biting at the bit to know about your results." Iruka patted him on the head. "If you two want to hang around for another hour or so I can take you out to eat once I finished with the exam and clean-up."

"I'm sure Naruto would love that." Kurama bowed again to the Hokage. "Thanks, sir, for passing me yourself."

The Hokage nodded. "Konoha has always been a place of opportunity. It would be hypocritical to refuse to graduate hardworking students over something so trivial."

"I hardly think it's trivial, sir, but it is something that can be overcome." Mizuki murmured as he shuffled his papers.

"Very true. Now, be gone with you Natsuki! Who knows what that brother of yours is up too right now, personally I don't want to find my office defaced with porn magazines and posters again."

Naruto tackled him as soon as he stepped out of the building grinning like a mad man when he noticed the headband over his brow.

"You did it! I knew as soon as I saw the Hokage that you'd pass, but I was still worried! We're both shinobi now! This is so awesome!"

Kurama chuckled at the fast paced words allowing his brother to spin him around as he talked excitedly. The students and parents still waiting in the courtyard glared at them for causing a ruckus, but neither boys cared. The funny thing about being subjugated to glares and hatred for years is that one simply gets used to it. Kurama rolled his eyes as the adults pulled their children away from them as if they hadn't been in the same classroom for years.

They were lucky, really, that Naruto was such an inherently good kid. After all, the creation of monsters doesn't happen overnight. If he wouldn't have looked insane he would have shaken his head in annoyance. Even after all these years, there were still many things about humans he hated. Instead of focusing on the people around them, he turned his attention back to his brother.

"Iruka-sensei said he'd take us out to eat after he was done."

"Yes!" Naruto cheered. "I want pork ramen!"

Kurama rolled his eyes and herded his brother to the tree swing in an empty corner of the yard. "Who says we're going to have ramen? What about sushi? I think I want sushi. It's better."

The look of utter betrayal was worth it. Kurama shielded his smirk behind his sleeve as Naruto began his long-winded defense of his favorite food. Truth be told, he didn't mind ramen, but the amount of utter indignation Naruto expressed when he teased him was amusing.

He glanced at the headband now tied to his brothers head and tried not to grimace. Being a shinobi was the only route they could take as "jinchuuriki", but it wasn't one he was looking forward to considering what the job entailed. Although the Hokage spoke of the will of fire, at the end of the day, shinobi were now weapons. Kurama glanced toward the looming cliff, wondering vaguely what Hagoromo would think of this future. He had worked so hard throughout his life to bring peace only for others to spurn it and use his teachings for more wars; more deaths.

"Natsu? Hey, Natsuki! Are you even listening to me!?"

Kurama turned towards his with an amused smile on his face, undoubtedly that peace loving fool would adore Naruto. "Hm, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention. Did you finally admit that sushi is better than ramen?"

Naruto's screech was fit for a fox and made Kurama laugh as he darted away from his enraged brother's attacks. Iruka found them wrestling in the dirt like six years rather than the genin they were supposed to be now.

"Honestly," Iruka rolled his eyes as they looked up at him sheepishly. "Hurry up and wash yourselves off before I leave without you two."

They did end up going to Ichiraku, much to Naruto's relief, though it looked like Iruka had started regretting it as soon as Naruto started his third bowl and didn't look like he was planning to stop. Kurama doubted he could ever understand how his brother could eat so much of the same thing without being sick and he honestly didn't want to know. He had his preferences, but there was a huge difference between preference and obsession. Naruto's love of ramen was definitely an obsession.

He glanced up at Iruka when he felt the man's hand in his hair.

Iruka smiled sadly at him. "Being a shinobi is tough work both mentally and physically, but you'll both be great. I know it."

Kurama smiled wanly at him. It had surprised him just how much Konoha coddled their children throughout the academy. He supposed that with the current lack of war or brewing war the Hokage was becoming more lenient with academy students, but that didn't stop him from worrying about his brother or even his fellow classmates. Iruka had attempted to touch on the tougher subjects of shinobi life, but even he shied away from laying the complete truth on their shoulders. He appreciated it all the same. It gave him time to adjust to the odd workings of human life.

It was fairly easy to get Naruto to go to bed when they got home, the boy was exhausted from all of the excitement today. He laid there with him for a little while anyway, wringing the sheets as waited for his brother to fall asleep.

"We're really Shinobi now, you know." Naruto murmured with a soft smile. He had yet to unhand his new headband. "We'll get super strong fighting all of the bad guys. Right, Natsu?"

"Yeah, sure Naruto."

"We'll prove that we aren't monsters. Then I'll be Hokage and make everyone realize that we're awesome. They couldn't be mean to us then, right?"

"A village must respect their Hokage." Kurama murmured back. "But, it takes a really long time to be one."

"I know." Naruto flashed him a grin. "We'll have to work really hard like Iruka-sensei said, but I definitely will be Hokage eventually. I'll make sure no one is mean to you when I do, so don't you worry!"

Kurama chuckled, watching blue eyes slowly dropped as his brother fell asleep. Yes, Hagoromo would definitely love Naruto. He waited until Naruto's breathing had completely evened out before slipping out of bed and climbing onto the roof.

Kurama leaned back and watched the stars, breathing deeply as he tried to calm down enough the think clearly. Now that he was alone his anger was starting to slowly creep up on him. Despite having received a headband today, the amount of struggle it took to get it was irritating. The whole situation was incensing, but what frustrated him the most was that fact that he didn't understand why. He understood the little things people did, the insults and refusing to service. Those were small petty things, done by petty people.

This was different, someone or several someones had attempted to prevent him from graduating and becoming a shinobi. That couldn't be simple bias. After all, they thought he was a jinchuuriki. Despite people's general attitude towards containers, everyone understands that jinchuuriki are necessary for the political dance between the Hidden Villages. The jinchuuriki were weapons, a threat, always present in discussions of war.

To refuse to train one for the inane reason they attempted to claim was ludicrous.

Kurama clenched and unclenched his hands trying to level his breathing. Naruto was simply happy that he graduated with him and was already looking forward to their team placement, but Kurama couldn't let it go. He knew there had to have been a reason someone, presumably someone with power in the village council, had tried to prevent him from graduating. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly while he tried to think of the possible reasons for failing him.

Separation.

Resentment.

He opened his eyes and watched the flickering stars for a moment. He took another breath. Had he been a real human child, how would he have reacted to not graduating? How would he have reacted to watching his twin become a genin without him? He frowned thoughtfully. He didn't like that train of thought.

The soft sound of shoes scuffing against the rooftop brought him back to the present.

He turned and tilted his head to his, now former, academy instructor.

"Mizuki-sensei, what are you doing here?" He had always felt the subtle malice hidden behind the man's smile, but now a shiver went down his spine as he looked up into the white's haired man's eyes.

"I wanted to congratulate you, Natsuki-kun, for graduating despite the meddling of a certain council member." The man crouched down next to him, smiling benevolently.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. A thousand thoughts flew through his head as he tensed.

"Thank you sensei."

He knew he was outclassed. All of the training and effort he put into getting stronger over the years wouldn't matter here. Mizuki was supposed to become a jounin before something happened on a mission that prevented him from moving up in rank. Iruka never said much about the matter, so Kurama had assumed it wasn't a huge deal if the man was allowed to teach.

His hands clenched around his headband as he felt the subtle shift of killing intent in the air.

If he ran now…

No, Naruto was asleep in the apartment bellow.

Maybe if he shouted loud enough...

Mizuki chuckled, obviously understanding what was going through his head. "You don't want to wake your brother, do you? That would be unfortunate."

Kurama scowled.

"Don't worry, I need you alive."

Kurama saw the hit coming, but he couldn't dodge it as it struck the back of his neck.

"After all, hostages are more useful alive and I'm going to need some major leverage to get away."

Everything faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, the woman the Hokage mentioned was Kushina. And yeah, the council member Mizuki mentioned was Danzo.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some shit hits the fan.

Naruto didn't like waking up alone.

He knew his brother liked to stay up late and think, but every time he woke up with one side of the bed cold he still felt a little lonely. When they were younger Natsuki would be on the window sill, but ever since Iruka-sensei taught them the wall walking technique his little brother would spend his nights on the roof looking at the stars. Naruto didn't blame him, the stars were very pretty, but he preferred to sleep. To help ease the loneliness he would always reach out to feel his brother's presence, his chakra he learned later when he asked about it and Iruka-sensei explained. The soft hum of familiar chakra always sent him back into a restful sleep.

Tonight, however, was different.

Naruto stared up at the ceiling as worry creased his brow. His stomach was twisting and churning, like that one time he had food poisoning when he was eight. His heart hammered in his chest as he reached out once more to try and confirm what he had immediately noticed in his half asleep state.

His brother was not on the roof.

He wasn't anywhere in the apartment.

Natsuki wasn't here.

His gut twisted. Something was very wrong. Naruto slipped out of bed slowly, still not quite believing what his senses were telling him. Natsuki and he had never been far enough from each other for him not to sense his brother's presence.

Shakily he climbed out the window and pulled himself to the roof with chakra enhanced limbs. The frigid air cut him like sharp kunai. His brother was nowhere in sight. Naruto knelt on the cool tiles and picked up the only sign his brother had been here at all.

A new Konoha headband.

He swallowed the bile that rose as his stomach twisted painfully. He could feel his chakra fluctuating with his panic. If he concentrated enough he could even feel that things' chakra rolling around in an irate fashion. He clutched the headband to his chest as looked around at the empty rooftops. It was almost midnight and no shinobi were visible to him.

As if on autopilot Naruto climbed back into his room got dressed and headed to the only place he could think of in his panic idled mind.

Naruto would have cackled at the complete shock on Iruka-sensei's face when he opened the door, but he was still lost in his own confused panic. The look on his face must have been bad, however, since Iruka-sensei pulled him inside asking what was wrong with the most serious expression Naruto had even seen on the man's face.

"Natsuki." Shaking off the man insistent hands trying to push him into a chair he tugged at the man's nightshirt. "He's missing Iruka-sensei! Somethings wrong! We gotta find him!"

Iruka-sensei paused for only a moment before nodding. "Okay, Naruto. We'll notify the night guard."

"But-!"

"No. Naruto if you think this is serious then we need to sound the alarm. You came to me for a reason, now listen to me now." He knelt in front of him smiling softly. "Trust me Naruto. We'll find out what happened to Natsuki, but we can't do it alone. What is Konoha's biggest strength?"

Naruto scowled and kicked the floor in frustration, but answered anyway. "Teamwork."

"Good boy." Iruka-sensei ruffled his hair. "Let me get dress and then we'll hurry to the tower and notify the person in charge."

Naruto nodded mulishly. He wanted to go and search for Natsuki himself. He should have just started searching on his own. He knew if he left now Iruka would find him. The man had an uncanny way of finding him when he didn't want him too, especially after a prank. He rocked on his heels while tapping his fingers on his thighs. A thousand different possibilities flew through his mind each one worse than the last.

"Natsuki, where are you?" He whispered.

*

Kurama curled his hands around his knees as he brought the appendages to his chest. He gritted his teeth and held back a growl. He should have been more alert.

Had he paid an ounce of attention to the sudden flux of Mizuki's malicious intent he wouldn't have been taken like he had. Instead, like a fool, he ignored any warning signs, tuning out the consistent negative emotions of those around him, simply because of the monotony of it. The endless fears, hatred, and anger of those around him were migraine inducing in this human form, so he began to ignore them. He was the architect of his own failure in the end.

He glared petulantly at the world around him.

His eyes roved over the towering bars, disappearing towards a ceiling he couldn't see. Beyond the vast expanse of his cage, now enormous given his current form, he could see the decimated remains of what once was a hallway. Rubble scattered outside the bars, half immersed in dark water. Without the walls, the world beyond the bars stretched on seemingly endless as the shadows swirled ominously.

The paper seal lining the bars gave off a soft light. It was one of two light sources in his mindscape.

That, and the raging inferno beneath his feet.

He looked down, reluctantly, beyond the frail looking glass and into the wild eyes of his former self. His chakra curled and flared, rolling around the huge body like it had a mind of his own. He watched a flare reach up towards him, briefly touching the glass before retreating.

It was easy, so easy to pretend.

Without knowing what humanity really was, he had pushed himself to pretend. He pushed himself to blend in with his newly human body. He was uncertain of the limitations and the effects the seal had on him, so he decided to wait. He decided not reveal himself until he was strong enough to break free without fear of being sealed once more.

It was easier than he thought, though he struggled with some human oddities. His body, mortal and frail, needed sleep, food, and other necessities in order to function. Although he longed for his former self, it was easier to adjust when basic instincts, foreign but strong none the less, pushed him to comply.

It was easy to smile, to laugh, to be happy- like the child he was supposed to be- when emotions flooded his very being, filling him the brim with their intensity.

Human felt so _much_ emotion.

It was easy to get lost in them.

Without the strong bond to the earth and natural chakra he easily pushed aside the faint ache from the loss of the connection. Somewhere along the way, he forgot to pretend. Somewhere along the way, the lines blurred and he never noticed the transition.

Kurama never noticed until now.

He stared at his former body. At the crackling, breathtaking power of his swirling red chakra. Even at half strength, his power was impressive.

He touched the glass, noting how thin and frail it looked.

He couldn't use even a fraction of the power he once wielded without a care. To do so would harm his new body. It would tear it apart.

He had known that from the beginning. But, it was here that the understanding fully hit him. This glass, frail as it looked, separated him from his former self. An invisible barrier that protected his human form from the corrosiveness of his pure, unrestrained chakra. It protected him and trapped him. Prevented this body's destruction, but held back his immortal soul. The disconnect between the two was startling, now that he noticed it.

Kurama looked at his hands. So, small and frail. He looked down at the sharp claws glinting in the light of his chakra. He remembered how it felt to run in that form. So, large he would block out the sky for humans. This body was a mere speck in comparison.

He looked and he longed.

He tore his gaze away and looked up at the looming bars and the faint glow of the seals woven around them. A few quick changes to the original seal and a miracle worthy of the Sage of Six Paths, himself, had allowed his current situation to occur without the very sudden denigration of the human body he resided within. He imagined the Shinigami had something to do with it. Whatever deal that foolish man had made to tear his soul apart and seal it away must have stabilized his body just enough to function.

Anger ripped through him, sudden and fierce.

_He had been free._

Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the incident, for one glorious moment, he had been free. He had tasted the air in his former power and glory.

He had been free.

Then that damned Uchiha took control once more and he was left to the mercy of the Minato Namikazi who ripped him apart and shoved him right back in a seal.

Kurama's hand formed a fist and he slammed it down violently. In this false world, his hand didn't even ache from the force of the blow. He watched with a sort of distant awe as spider web cracks formed through the glass. He looked up at the seals again. They were glowing brighter now, but the sharp pain he had grown used to during his previous internment was not present for this act of rebellion.

He could do it. He realized suddenly.

He looked down at the cracks in hysterical astonishment.

He could break the glass.

He could break the seal.

It didn't recognize him as the Nine-Tails. It thought he was human or at least the man who made it did. It would undoubtedly try to prevent him from completely breaking it, but it was weak enough that he knew, if he threw all of his concentration into it, then he could…he could…

_He could be free._

He could release his true form. He could have all of his power once more.

No longer would he have to limit himself. No more pretending. He could destroy the pathetic human who kidnapped him. He could wipe him off of the earth. The earth…He could once more have his connection with the nature chakra the permeated the soil and plant life. He could feel the wind in his fur and be able to use all of his senses to their full extent!

His hand trembled as the thoughts raced through his mind.

He could…

A flash of blond flittered through his thoughts.

He froze.

He looked down at the chakra and his former self. His _former_ self.

If he broke the seal now. If he reclaimed all of his power, not only would he still not be whole, but this body would be destroyed. He could see his startled expression in the glass. His face, which had been flushed with excitement, now lost most of his color. He traced his childishly rounded features in the reflection.

This was a face he had resigned himself too.

A face he had learned to expect in the mirror.

A face he had come to see as his own.

A face he shared with another.

_"Wh-what do you m-mean N-Natsu? Wh-what are you saying?!" Fearful blue eyes met his own. "You think…you're saying that we have a…a monster inside of us? A-A demon that almost d-destroyed the village?"_

_"Is, that is…did the demon kill our parents, do you think? The Hokage always said our parents died that night…do you think…"_

He had never seen Naruto cry. The boy was so stubborn, he wanted to protect 'his little brother' from everything. So, he never cried. He never showed how affected he was by the looks, the insults. He always smiled. That stupid bright smile. The smile that lit up his eyes and reminded him of a man he often tried to forget.

He wasn't smiling that day.

No, Kurama could remember, with great detail, the way the boy broke down. The way his small shoulders shuttered and shook as he tried to hold back the sob that wracked his tiny form.

Kurama had stood there dumbfounded.

_"So, that's why they hate us."_

He remembered how the other boy's voice had shaken him out of his trace. It had trembled in an entirely foreign way and held a level of bitterness Kurama had never thought the kind boy could achieve.

_"Am I, are we…monsters too?"_

His hands were shaking for an entirely different reason now as he stared at the combination of his reflection and the huge form bellow it. The glow of the chakra suddenly seemed ominous as he crouched there frozen.

Humans felt entirely too much.

He had learned this early on, but the sudden onslaught of emotions still took him by surprise when he let down his guard. When he was younger they would overwhelm him at odd times and leave him speechless. He had learned to deal with it, for the most part, but pushing them to the back of his mind and ignoring it only last for so long.

He looked at the cracked glass with a sudden and strong rush of horror.

_"…you're saying that we have a…a monster inside of us? A-A demon that almost d-destroyed the village?"_

He could be free…

_(A flash of a crinkled old face smiling down at him. A gentle hand in his hair. The smell of food cooked right for the first time. A wide proud smile and gentle voice teaching him things he never knew existed. The flash of silver hair and warm laughter. A feeling of acceptance. Blond, bright and shining. Unrelenting cheer and unfaltering kindness even in the face of hatred and fear.)_

...but at what cost?

He placed his palm down on the glass. It was warm to the touch. His chakra beckoned him like an old friend. It begged to be whole once more. Whole and free. It whispered to him. Reminding him of old times. He could tower above the mountains once more. He could run, he could leap. He could truly see the world in ways his human eyes could not perceive or ever match. He could feel the ancient chakra of the world and connect to the natural chakra still thrumming with power in the earth. He wouldn't have to fear death or face the inevitability of aging. He wouldn't have to be overwhelmed by foreign emotions he could not control nor lower himself to human interactions.

Kurama; the Nine-Tailed Fox. The Age-Old Natural Disaster. The Ninth Biju would have taken whatever chance he could in order to escape, to be free…but would Natsuki? He knew what he former self would do. He knew what choice he would make. But…he was different now. Even if he tried not to acknowledge it. Even if he ignored it.

The twelve years he had spent as a human had changed him.

He lowered his head as he felt the stirrings of consciousness softly touch his mind.

_(He didn't acknowledge the single drop of liquid that splashed onto the cracked glass.)_

Humans truly did feel entirely too much.

*

The sudden shriek of the alarm nearly made him claw the ceiling. Iruka had just exited his bedroom dressed and ready to go when it went off. Naruto watched as the man went very still for a moment and tried to remember what this specific pitch meant as far as emergencies.

"Naruto. We need to go to the Hokage tower now." Iruka-sensei turned and crouched down. "Get on my back, we need to move fast."

Naruto scrambled to do as he was asked his eyes wide and worry coursing through him. Normally he'd be excited to travel this way.

Normally his brother wasn't missing.

He clutched the older man's shoulder tightly, watching as the roof tops flew by. He reached out to try and feel for his brother's chakra, but he still couldn't feel it. Tears burned his eyes as he tried to hold them back. His stomach hasn't stopped rolling and now he felt like he was going to throw-up.

He closed his eyes and ignored it.

He was a shinobi now. He had passed the exam all by himself and earned his headband. He had to be strong. For the village. For Natsuki.

He would be strong.

When he opened his eyes they had arrived. He slipped off of Iruka-sensei's back and glanced nervously the large gathering of shinobi around him. He could see the masked shinobi, Anbu, flickering around. He watched as groups of them arrive, reported something to the Hokage before flickering away again. Everyone was tense, waiting for the Hokage to speak.

But, Iruka-sensei wasn't waiting.

He dragged Naruto forward, his eyes flashing and face serious, towards the Hokage. The old man straitened when he noticed them and sent Naruto a small smile, before turning fully to Iruka-sensei.

"The Scroll of Sealing has been stolen by Mizuki."

Naruto could feel Iruka-sensei flinch subtly from the hand still on his should, but his face didn't change.

"Uzumaki Natsuki is missing."

Naruto heard the intake of breath from the shinobi around him and shifted closer to Iruka-sensei. He remembered the day Natsuki had shared his suspicions with him about the Kyuubi attack. He remembered going to the Hokage and learning that Natsuki was right. He had tried not to think of since, but…

Every flinch, dirty look, whispered insult; they all reminded him. He tried to ignore it, but it stung. It hurt to know that everyone saw his brother and him as monsters, because of the demon they held within them. Now as he glanced around at the suddenly very anxious shinobi, he remembered.

He looked at his feet, trying to ignore the glances sent his way. Other shinobi never bothered them, but he felt uncomfortable now knowing that they knew what was inside of him.

What was also inside of Natsuki…

"Do you think…" He looked up at Iruka-sensei. "…do you think that Mizuki-sen…that Mizuki would try and use the scroll to well…"

Iruka-sensei grimaced. "I don't know Naruto. We don't even know whether he has Natsuki or not right now."

"He stole a sealing scroll, though." Naruto continued stubbornly. "That what the Yondaime used to..well. And Natsuki wouldn't just leave. He likes to look at the stars, but he's never left!"

He glared at the ground feeling a sudden rush of anger and frustration. His brother was missing and he was just standing here. He looked at the Hokage, seeing the 'no' already halfway on his mouth before Naruto could even ask.

He met his gaze stubbornly.

"I can feel Natsuki's chakra. If I'm close enough I can find him."

The old man frowned. "We have chakra sensors already out looking, Naruto."

"But, do they know Natsuki chakra!? I do!" He stepped away from Iruka-sensei and tried to stand up straight and look more mature. "I'm a genin now, not an academy student. Natsuki's in trouble. Please, sir, let me help."

He could feel the moment the Hokage gave in, but restrained himself from cheering. He was a genin, not a little kid and Natsuki needed help.

"I can go with him, Hokage-sama." Iruka-sensei murmured while stepping up beside him.

The Hokage nodded. "Genma, accompany Iruka and Naruto as they search for Natsuki. If you find Mizuki, do not engage. Signal for Anbu and attempt to get away. If Natsuki is being held by Mizuki still do not engage unless his life is at risk. Protect Naruto and signal the Anbu."

He knelt in front of Naruto and put his hands on his shoulders. "Naruto. This is your first mission. Iruka and Genma are your teammates. Remember, Konoha's greatest strength has always been teamwork. Listen to them and do what they tell you too. I know you are worried about your brother, but your life is important too."

Naruto nodded, reluctantly, feeling slightly overwhelmed. The Hokage nodded back and ruffled his hair. Naruto glanced at the other shinobi who was joining them. The man grinned at him, somehow managing to do so without dropping the senbon in his mouth.

"Come on Naruto, you're going to have to get on my back again." Iruka-sensei knelt beside him smiling gently.

Naruto nodded and they were flying across the rooftops a minute later.

"Alright kid, we're going to do a circuit around the city. Then another through the training grounds and forests. Tell us when you sense you brother's chakra." The other shinobi was still grinning and Naruto smiling uncertainly back.

He didn't know this man, but he seemed nice enough. He turned his attention to his own chakra, stretching his senses out in search of his brother. He stretched it further than he had even done before, trying to be useful.

"So, the kid's a sensor?" Genma asked.

Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but Iruka-sensei beat him to it.

"No, I don't think this is just chakra sensing." He shot him a significant look that took Naruto a moment to understand. Once he did, he shifted uncomfortably. He could only do this because of the monster inside him and Natsuki. He frowned.

"Ah, damn, I guess that means I have something to be grateful for because of that damn demon then."

Naruto glanced at him in surprise, but the man just continued to grin.

"If you guys didn't house the darn thing, then you wouldn't be able to sense his chakra and we might not have a good chance at finding your brother."

They were silent after that, for which Naruto was grateful. He wasn't sure what to make of the other shinobi's words. He never talked to anyone directly about the Kyuubi beside Natsuki and the Hokage when he first found out about it. It was odd, but kind of nice the man treated it like no big deal.

He pushed that thought to the back of his head for now.

He needed to focus on Natsuki.

They were looping through the training fields when he felt a faint flicker of something. A burning sensation swelled in his stomach making him gasp and grip Iruka-sensei's shoulder tightly. He could feel the swell of foreign chakra. Foreign, but somehow familiar. It licked at his own chakra leaving behind a faint burning sensation that made him uncomfortable. Nearly as quickly as it started the chakra seemed to cut itself off and reseeded completely.

"Naruto?"

He nearly opened his mouth to comment on it, feeling scare all of the sudden, when he felt a familiar chakra touch his senses briefly.

"Naruto?!"

"Natsuki!" Naruto pulled at Iruka's hair in excitement. "I can feel him. Go that way sensei!"

The two older shinobi turned sharply and followed his instructions as they delved deeper into the forest. Naruto wondered if they were still even in the training grounds, but shook the stray thought away.

Natsuki was close.

The group came to a halt in a clearing. Naruto nearly cried out in joy when he saw a familiar head of dark orange hair, but his shout was stifled when he noticed his former teacher standing next to the unconscious body of his brother.

"So, you managed to find me?"

Naruto shrunk behind Iruka-sensei briefly at the sheer amount of venom dripping from the white haired man's words.

"Mizuki," Iruka-sensei whispered.

"Ah, Iruka. Shocked? Really? Heh." The man rolled his eyes. "Honestly, for a shinobi, you always were uncommonly blind to the intentions of those around you."

"You're a traitor, Mizuki." It was Genma who spoke this time. "You know what that means, don't you? You're smart enough to understand that you're not getting out of here."

Naruto glanced at the man in surprise. The grin was gone, in its place a scowl and narrowed eyed look of determination. He felt Iruka tense underneath and realized suddenly that they were preparing for a fight.

"Hah, maybe, but I got a trump card." The man gestured beside him, to the stirring form of Naruto's little brother. "I wonder what happens to a jinchuuriki when they die? Is the damn beast they hold released?"

Naruto didn't like the grin on his face. It made him shiver at the waves of ill intent rolling off of his body. It amazed him that this was the same man who helped Iruka teach the class. This was the same man who corrected his stance when throwing shuriken and taught him how to do it right. Now, his face was twisted maliciously while the shadows deepened the lines making him seem more menacing.

He was scared.

He glanced at Natsuki.

"Leave him alone, you bastard!" He shouted, trying to ignore his trembling hands.

"Ah, so the other half of the demon is here too." Mizuki laughed. "I've always wondered, monster, whether you felt your brothers pain. You're two halves of the same whole, after all."

Naruto watched in horror as he grabbed Natsuki by his hair before slamming his head on the ground. Natsuki cried out in pain as Mizuki preceded to pull him up and hold him in front of him. Naruto could see the blood running down his face as his brother flinched and twitched in pain. Mizuki looked at him with something akin to disappointment.

"Hm, guess not."

"Shit." Genma murmured. "Iruka…"

"Yeah."

Naruto couldn't even process his two companion's brief conversation and exchange of looks. He was too focused on his now awake brother in the clutches of his deranged former sensei.

"Naruto."

"Naruto!"

It took a lot of effort to tear his eyes away from his brother's attempts to pull free while Mizuki laughed. He glanced at the other man as Iruka-sensei shifted to allow him to stand on the tree branch between them. He jumped as Iruka-sensei began to engage Mizuki in a conversation.

"Mizuki! Why would you do this!? You're a Konoha shinobi! You have a fiancé!"

A tap on his shoulder brought his attention back to Genma. The man wasn't even looking at him. His eyes were focused on Mizuki as he talked quickly and quietly to Naruto.

"We're far away from the village right now. Any help will take precious time to get here. Time that Mizuki could use to escape with your brother. However, if we attack Mizuki right now he's going to use your brother as a shield."

Naruto gritted his teeth as frustration welled inside of him. "There must be something…!"

The man glanced at him briefly, sending him a tight smile. "I think this counts as a threat on your brother's life, so we will have to engage. Iruka and I will attack and separate him from Natsuki. Your job is to grab your brother and the scroll sitting on the ground next to him and run. You know which direction the village is in?"

Naruto nodded shakily, wondering for the first time if he could handle being a shinobi. A hand on his shoulder cut off that thought. He looked up at the man.

"Keep running. Don't look back." He shoved a weapons bag in his hands. "If Mizuki manages to neutralize us or give us the slip don't hesitate to use these. He won't hesitate to kill you. Protect your brother."

Naruto nodded again and tied the belt to his thigh. It felt heavier than he expected. Genma nodded and gave him another brief smile, though this one was more of a grimace. He felt the two men tense beside him as Iruka-sensei's conversation came to an end. Iruka-sensei glanced at him and nodded a frown pulling at his lips.

Then they were gone.

Naruto blinked in surprise. They were suddenly on the ground and in combat with Mizuki. He watched for a moment as weapons clashed with one another and the two shinobi moved as one flanking the white haired traitor and distracting him from his brother. He swallowed and ran down the tree as he saw his brother getting thrown aside so that Mizuki could properly defend himself. He caught Natsuki and snatched the scroll before dragging his brother away.

"Naruto." Natsuki glanced at him briefly before seeming to understand what they needed to do and started running with him.

"You okay?" Naruto asked as they leaped into the bushed and took off in the direction of the village. He glanced at his brother and tried not to wince at the amount of blood.

"Yeah." Natsuki glanced at him, smiling tightly. "And you?"

"Better than you! I don't have a head wound." Naruto replied feeling relieved that his brother was well enough to joke.

"It's just a scratch."

Naruto rolled his eyes and adjusted the strap the scroll was attached to, so it stops banging against his back at every step. They both flinched at the scream of pain behind them followed by an angry roar. A shared glance had them running faster, leaping over roots and dodging trees. Naruto glanced up at the looming branches, wishing that they could leap from them instead. For all that they would walk on walls, they hadn't learned the specific requirements for running along branches, a specialty of Konoha shinobi.

"Look out." Natsuki's words and shove was the only warning Naruto got before the sudden barrage of kunai came out of the trees.

They tumbled to the ground in a heap, having barely missed the sharp weapons.

"You little demons," Mizuki growled and he jumped down from the tree tops. He was bleeding heavily from a shoulder wound, but that didn't seem to stop him from advancing on them with fiery in his eyes.

They scooted away in unison but were stopped by the trunk of a tree. Naruto pulled his brother behind him, ignoring his attempts to pull away.

"L-Leave us alone!" Naruto shouted as he reached into the weapons pouch Genma gave him. His hand settled on a kunai, but it shook too hard for him to pull it out. He gritted his teeth. "We're not demons!"

"Hah! Like I'd believe that." Mizuki grabbed the front of his shirt and pull him up, even Natsuki's grip on the back of his shirt couldn't prevent him from being face to face with the man. "You have the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of you. You're monsters even if you're not the fox itself."

Naruto flinched back as spittle landed on his cheek.

"Let him go," Natsuki spoke up behind him in a firm voice.

His hand tightened on the kunai, slowly he pulled it out, hoping Mizuki didn't see it.

"You two are nothing more than the vessels for a monster that nearly destroyed this village, yet you're allowed to parade around like you own the place. It's disgusting. Monsters like you two should be locked up. Killing you would do everyone who lost a loved one a favor and maybe the Kyuubi will destroy this place for good."

'He's going to kill me.' Naruto thought to himself his eyes widening.

"I said, let him go." Natsuki's voice was low and threatening.

In a flash, his brother was beside them striking at Mizuki's feet. The man dropped him and turned to Natsuki with a snarl. His brother glared right back, his eyes glowing an eerie red.

"Hah. Look, you really are a demon!"

There was a manic look in the man's eyes. He pulled out a kunai and struck forward as Natsuki jumped back. Naruto noticed for the first time that Natsuki was still in his pajamas. Natsuki grabbed his free hand and pulled him away.

"Come on, Naruto!"

They were running again, but now they could hear the sounds of pursuit from Mizuki. The man leaped forward knocking them to the ground once more.

"Naruto! Natsuki!"

Iruka-sensei's voice sounded panicked as he jumped in front of them blocking Mizuki's wild strike. The man was bleeding from several places along his torso and from a cut above his eye.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Iruka-sensei."

"Why do you defend these monsters, Iruka!?" Mizuki shouted. "The Kyuubi killed your parents!"

Naruto felt his brother flinch violently beside him, but he couldn't take his eyes away from the fight in front of them.

"They are not the Kyuubi, Mizuki." Iruka-sensei snarled blocking another attack and striking out with his foot. "They are _my students_ and I won't let you hurt them!"

Naruto felt tears prick his eyes, but he tried to hold them back.

Genma flew into the battle as fast as a lightning bolt. "Heh. Did you honestly think that illusion trick of yours would hold me for long?"

Naruto's eyes widened as the battle flashed before his eyes. He didn't know people could move that fast, the three shinobi were a blur to him.

"Naruto, come on." Natsuki murmured tugging at his arm.

He tore his eyes away and nodded. They stood and back away slowly from the three as Naruto tried to figure out which direction the village was in.

"You little shits are not running away again!"

He barely had time to step in front of his brother.

His eyes widened and his hands flew up in defense.

"Naruto!"

Silence descended in the forest. Something warm dripped onto his hands. He opened his eyes slowly, wondering vaguely when he closed them and stared, not comprehending what was in front of him.

Mizuki had stopped.

Naruto's hands trembled.

He felt sick.

A small hand entered his line of sight, sliding slowly over his own and pulling him away. He let go of the kunai willingly and allowed his brother to tug him back several steps.

Mizuki was the first to break the silence.

He choked. Coughing up blood as he continued to stare at his own chest.

Iruka had them wrapped in a tight hug, blocking Naruto's view of Mizuki before his mind started to function properly again. He brought his hands up and clutched Iruka-sensei as his body started to tremble.

He closed his eyes and blocked out the sound of a heavy thump behind his sensei.

Natsuki was next to him with cool hands on the back of his neck and whispered assurances in his ear while Iruka-sensei held them both. He wasn't sure when or how they ended up back in the Hokage's office. Everything seemed to pass by in a blur. The old man was saying something, but it sounded like buzzing in his ears. He continued to stare at the floor.

It was better than staring at his hands, still covered in blood.

He felt a hand in his hair and looked up.

Genma stood there, a grim look on his face. "Good work, kid. You protected your brother."

The quick burst of indignation extinguished itself before he could say anything. He looked at his brother, who was hovering uncertainly beside him. Natsuki didn't have any weapons. If Naruto hadn't stepped in front of him…

His lips trembled as he tried to hold them back, but the tears came anyway.

"This is what it means to be a shinobi, kid. You protect the lives of those you love, at the cost of others."

He gasped for breath as the sobs wracked his body suddenly and fiercely. He could hear Iruka-sensei berating Genma in the background, but he didn't care. He wrapped his arms around Natsuki and squeezed as he sobbed. After a moment's hesitation, he felt the other boy wrap his arms around him as he ran his hands through his hair. He didn't say anything and for that Naruto was grateful.

He didn't think he could handle any reassurances right now.

*

Kurama held his sobbing brother as he glared over his shoulder at the man who caused the blond boys break down.

"He needed it." The man replied to Iruka but looked directly at Kurama. "He would have sat there and held it all in if I hadn't said anything."

Kurama took a deep breath and turned his attention to his brother, running his hands through his hair. He felt useless as the boy continued to sob.

"It's a bitter pill, but one that has to be taken." The Hokage murmured. "It's regrettable this had to occur so soon, but it's better that it was here rather than on a mission far from home."

Kurama swallowed as his mind flashed to the frozen Mizuki, staring at the kunai in his chest. It was sheer luck that Naruto managed to lodge the weapon in the man's heart when he had attacked them. Naruto had only really held the weapon out to protect himself, the man's momentum did the rest. He looked down at the blond hair tickling his nose. The boy had his arms around his waist and was sobbing into his chest. Every once in a while, he would choke on his own tears and cough before continuing to cry.

Kurama's own eyes prickled as frustration over his uselessness peaked. He scowled and laid his head over his brothers as he ran his hands down his back. The adults were talking quietly to one another, but Kurama paid them no mind. He let his guard down, got himself kidnapped and now Naruto was suffering.

He sighed.

It seemed as though he could do nothing right.

"Natsuki?"

He tried not to flinch when Iruka walked over to them and knelt down beside him. He couldn't bring himself to look the man in the eye.

_"The Kyuubi killed your parents!"_

"I'm going to take you guys home, okay?" Iruka murmured. "Naruto? Can you hear me?"

The boy stirred and sniffed loudly. When he spoke it sounded slightly garbled and more than a little hoarse. "Yes, sensei."

"I'm going to take you home. Can you walk?"

"Yes, sensei."

Naruto pulled away and Kurama wanted nothing more than to grab the boy and hug him as he caught sight of his swollen, red face and tired eyes. Instead, he helped him steady himself and held his hand as they slowly made their way out of the office, through the building and onto the streets.

The walk home seemed to take forever, but they eventually made it. The door was unlocked, but Kurama wasn't about to reprimand Naruto for it. He led his brother to his room and helped the boy into his pajamas before changing his own to a new, not covered in dirt and blood, pair. Iruka hovered in the doorway for a minute or two before tucking them into bed and kissing their foreheads like a parent would.

"I'll sleep on the couch." He said softly, mostly to Natsuki since Naruto seemed to be in his own world at the moment. "The Hokage will probably push back the genin team's announcement a day or two."

"Okay, sensei." Kurama murmured.

He hesitated a moment, glancing at Naruto. "I'll see if I can get someone to talk to you guys tomorrow if the Hokage hasn't already. A professional."

"Okay, sensei."

Iruka smiled sadly at him before patting Naruto's cheek and leaving the room. "Guard his dreams, okay Natsuki?"

"Okay, sensei." Kurama murmured one last time.

Naruto continued to stare up at the ceiling for another hour before he finally stirred. Kurama watched as he blinked slowly and grimaced. He glanced at Kurama briefly before looking back at the ceiling. When he spoke, his voice was painfully weak and uncertain.

"…Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"I…I'm glad you're okay…even…even if it means Mizuki's dead. D-does that make me a monster? Like the Kyuubi?"

It took him a moment to catch his breath. He swallowed slowly.

_"A-A demon that almost d-destroyed the village?"_

_"…did the demon kill our parents, do you think? The Hokage always said our parents died that night…do you think…"_

_"The Kyuubi killed your parents!"_

"No, Naruto. You're not a monster."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, when I originally wrote this it wasn't supposed to turn out this way. It was supposed to be lighter, but it took a sudden turn down angst road and I couldn't bring myself to rewrite it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genma is the mvp of this chapter. He recognizes a bad couch when he sits on one.

Kakashi leaped gracefully over the rooftops to the Hokage tower after finally returning after a weeklong mission. Normally, he'd head over to the memorial stone and wait for a couple of hours. Normally, it wasn't the day after graduation and normally he didn't want a team of genin.

However, today wasn't normal. He actually wanted a specific team and he was hoping the Hokage would grant him his request. So, to make a good impression, he was trying to be on time. Which, ironically enough, was rather difficult after years of being chronically late. He clutched his mission report tightly as he leaped up to the window of the Hokage's office, wondering briefly whether he should actually use the door for once before deciding against it and slipping into the room quietly. He didn't want to give the Hokage a heart attack, after all.

The Hokage smiled tiredly at him and waved off a frantic looking Hayato.

"But, Hokage-sama, I can't! I'm not…"

"You'll be fine, Hayate. I'm sure you'll be a wonderful Sensei." The Hokage smiled benignly his eyes dancing with amusement.

Kakashi felt a small grin tug at his lips at the utter exasperation the tokubetsu jounin managed to put into one long sigh. Apparently, this argument had been going on for a long time. His heart went out to the other man. He had received a similar lecture every time the Hokage tried to give him a team in the past.

Understanding that the conversation was done and there was nothing he could do to change the Hokage's mind, Hayate gave a stiff bow and stalked out of the room.

Kakashi watched him go before setting his report down on the desk and waited silently as the Hokage went over the details, asking questions where clarification was needed. He glanced briefly around the room, noting the three extra anbu, before turning his gaze back to the Hokage as the man sighed heavily.

"Is there something wrong with my report, Hokage-sama?"

"No, no." The Hokage pulled out his pipe and took a deep breath before releasing slowly. "Your report is perfect as usual and I'm glad your mission was successful. Unfortunately, we've had some issue here."

Kakashi tensed slightly, his mind flashing to the large amount of patrols he saw while rushing to the Hokage tower.

"I had fully planned on give you team seven with both the Uzumaki twins. It was only right to continue the tradition and I knew that you wanted to make amends..." He straightened as the Hokage's eyes landed on him gleaming with power. "Kakashi, I have to know that you are capable of handling traumatized children."

He froze.

"H-Hokage-sama?" Kakashi hesitated for a moment not sure how to answer this question.

"Last night, Natsuki was kidnapped by Mizuki a teacher at the academy. From what we've gathered he was planning on using the boy as a hostage in order to flee with the Scroll of Seals. Luckily, Iruka Umino and Genma Shiranui managed to find him with Naruto's help. However, things went south when they tried to confront him…" The man sighed. "Kakashi, in order to protect his brother, Naruto was forced to kill Mizuki."

Kakashi didn't say anything nor show any outward sign of shock or disgust. He simply lowered his head and sighed. He knew better than most about the sacrifices and sorrows that came with being a shinobi. Killing was inevitable and death was an occupational hazard. He ran his hand through his hair trying to think of the right response as the Hokage waited silently for his answer. He wasn't the best person to teach these kids. He knew it. The Hokage knew it. The only chance he had at teaching the twins was because their father was his teacher and Konoha believed strongly in not breaking what works. He was sure that the Hokage had numerous doubts about letting him teach them, but he was willing to overlook it with the Uchiha boy graduating and his connection to the twin's father. Kakashi himself was sure there was someone else who'd be a better fit for the job.

But…

They were _Sensei's kids._

He promised Sensei he'd look out for them.

He straightened his shoulders and looked the Hokage in the eye…

*

Kurama stared at the ceiling silently.

He flexed his hands slowly as he tried to even his breathing. It was suffocating with the negative emotions in the air was nearly physical, but he didn't want to leave his brother alone. Said brother was curled on the bed as Kurama hovered worriedly on the edge. He turned and looked at the lump under the covers. Naruto had shivered and shook though-out the night, but he was now still. Almost eerily so.

He opened his mouth to say something, before closing it again when he realized he didn't know what to say.

The concept of death wasn't one he dwelled on as an immortal being composed of chakra.

The only death that had affected him was Hagoromo's.

He had never put much thought into humans, much less their deaths. He knew he had killed many humans over the years, not to mention the numerous deaths that occurred when he was forced to attack the village twelve years ago. It was only after he became human that he started to realize the impact death had on humans.

He touched his chest, feeling the rhythmic beat of his heart.

Humans felt so much.

Now that he was a human himself he had noticed that, even though he knew it wasn't his fault, he still felt a twinge of guilt knowing the death and destruction he caused. It was difficult some days to meet Iruka's eyes knowing he was the one who killed his parents. It was difficult to meet Naruto's eyes on some days, knowing what he did about their parentage.

_"Is, that is…did the demon kill our parents, do you think? The Hokage always said our parents died that night…do you think…"_

He took a deep breath trying to calm his frazzled nerves.

The realization he came to in his mental world had shaken him to the core. He felt unbalanced and suddenly very, very small. It didn't help that as soon as he woke up they had to flee for their lives from an insane teacher that he failed to realize was a threat. With his nerves frazzled and a head wound that was still healing, he could do very little when Mizuki lunged at them that final time.

Now Naruto was suffering.

He looked back down at his brother.

One part of him wanted to tell him, that it was alright. He wanted to tell Naruto that he did the right thing. Mizuki was an enemy and needed to be stopped by any means necessary. He wanted to say that his death didn't matter. Mizuki threatened them and Naruto took care of him. That part was the bijuu speaking. Practical as ever and less inclined to feel sympathy or any of those weak human emotions.

Another part of him, the human part, mourned his brother's sudden loss of innocence. He understood the misplaced guilt and the fear. He watched as the blond scrubbed his hands raw when they got home, only stopping when Kurama forced him too. He knew Naruto has repeated that night over and over again in his mind right now. This part of him was tongue-tied and uncertain.

How could he tell his brother that he understood?

How could he explain that he understood this because he was the one who killed their parents along with a good portion of Konoha?

How could he say that he felt nothing when he did it, but now that he had spent twelve years as a human he felt guilty and upset over his actions?

"…you're saying that we have a…a monster inside of us? A-A demon that almost d-destroyed the village?"

He flinched and took another breath.

He needed to pull himself together.

Kurama looked at his brother, who still hadn't moved. He didn't want to leave him, but he needed to get away from the negative energy the boy was admitting. It wasn't helping his mental state. It was already fragile and Naruto's emotions were just making it worse.

A knock on the door broke the silence in the apartment. He heard Iruka, who had been hovering around the apartment all morning, answer the door and talk softly to whoever was there. Then three sets of footstep marched into their main room.

He sighed and reached over to tap what he assumed was Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, we have company."

"Mnffm" Was all the response he got before Naruto jerked into a sitting position.

Kurama helped his brother disentangle himself from the blanket. Once the boy was free he gave him a once over and winced. Pale face, with red-rimmed eyes and deep shadows.

"The bags under your eyes are nearly as deep as mine." He muttered without thinking.

It startled a short laugh out of the other boy. "No one can beat your raccoon eyes, Natsu."

Kurama huffed and rolled his eyes, as he tried to hide his relief. The boy looked like hell, but if he was still able to joke Kurama knew that he'd be fine.

Iruka cracked open the door and sent them a gentle smile. "Boys, you have some guest that need to talk with you."

"Yes, Iruka-sensei," Kurama replied as he pulled Naruto to a standing position. "Naruto needs to get dressed first, though."

"Of course, take your time." The man closed the door softly.

Naruto shuffled his feet and rubbed his arm nervously. "I don't wanna talk to anyone."

"I know, but we have too," Kurama replied.

Maybe it was completely selfish, but Kurama was drowning in all of Naruto's negative emotions. He hoped that interacting with other people will help his brother get back to normal. He could only hope that the people in their living room weren't going to antagonize them more. Judging from Iruka's relaxed expression when he peeked his head in, Kurama didn't think they meant harm. He corralled his reluctant brother into becoming presentable before shuffling him out of their bedroom door.

There were two new people in the living room. He didn't recognize either of them immediately, though the one with the senbon needle sticking out of his mouth did look familiar. It took him a moment to realize that he was the other shinobi from last night that apparently helped Naruto search for him and tried to fight off Mizuki. He tried reaching out to test his emotions, but they alluded him.

The other was someone he didn't know, but it judging by his pale blue eyes and long blond hair he was one of those mind reading clan members. He eyed the man warily. With the Uchiha now dead and gone the Yamanaka clan was the most threatening in his current situation. He dreaded the thought of one of their members messing with his head and learning his secret. He felt Naruto grab his sleeve and could feel the waves of nearly physical anxiety coming off of the other boy. He narrowed his eyes at the two, silently demanding for them to explain their presence.

Of course, neither of the two shinobi seemed very threatened by his suspicious glare. He barely held himself back from growling like an animal.

_(They should fear him)_

_(They should tremble at his very presence)_

He bit down on his tongue trying to reign his temper. This was neither the time nor place to get angry over his current form.

The man with the senbon in his mouthed grin and waved at them in a lazy manner. "Yo. In case you squirts forgot, my name's Genma Shiranui. The Hokage order me to give you your reward for last night's mission."

"Mission?" Kurama tilted his head to the side and glanced at Naruto, who was looking at his feet.

"Yup. Rescue, retrieval of the Scroll of Seals, and elimination of a traitor. Hokage has ranked it an A-class mission, so you'll be receiving an award equal to the rank." He wiggled his eyebrows at them. "You kiddos are lucky, A rank missions pay very well. Not to mention this will go on your official records. You can brag to your friends about it. Most shinobi don't get A ranks until they are at least jounin level, outside of wartime."

"But, before that." The Yamanaka cut in quickly. "My name is Yamanaka Itsuki and I'm here for a psychological examination."

Kurama glared at him again. "You're not rooting in mine nor Naruto's head."

"Natsuki!" Iruka looked scandalized. Kurama didn't really blame him. He knew he was acting out of character.

Genma, on the other hand, burst out laughing as the blonde blinked in surprise. The Yamanaka smiled warmly after seemingly getting over his surprise.

"Don't worry, I won't be 'rooting around' in either of your heads. I'll just be performing a simple examination that all shinobi have to go through after their first bloody mission or first kill. I'll just be asking questions, not performing mind jutsu." He chuckled. "If it makes you feel any better I've always been terrible at them despite it being my clan's signature jutsus. That's why I'm a medic and not an active duty shinobi."

Kurama eyes him for a minute as he tried to find any trace of negative emotions or intentions in his aura. The man stood there calmly as Kurama analyzed him. After finding nothing incriminating he glanced back at Naruto. The boy gave him a shaky smile. Kurama sighed.

"Ok, I guess."

The Yamanaka inclined his head. "Thank you, Natsuki. Now, Naruto? Would you mind coming with me to talk privately?"

Kurama watched silently as Naruto was shuffled back into their room.

"Sit down and calm down, kid. Itsuki is practically a saint. He would never hurt your brother." The other shinobi flopped down on the couch and grinned at him.

Kurama eyes him a moment before sitting down at the table. Iruka sat down with him giving him a soft smile.

"He's right, Natsuki. Naruto will be alright. It's just a mandatory exam shinobi have to go through after their first kill. It will help him."

There was a bout of awkward silence. Kurama could her the soft mutter of Naruto's voice in the other room. If he strained he could probably-

"This couch sucks ass."

"Genma! Language!"

The man ignored Iruka and looked at Kurama with a grin. "I propose that you buy a new couch with the money from this mission. It's a nice sum, you'll have money left over even if do get a more expensive couch."

Kurama eyed him for a moment. He seemed genuinely friendly, but it was difficult to get a read on his emotions. Every time he tried to grasp at them they floated away like smoke on the breeze. He wanted to growl, but refrained and instead eyed the man suspiciously. Iruka sighed.

"Honestly, you never treated me this way, Natsuki, even when we first met. Genma's only here to help and you're being very rude."

Kurama twitched slightly at the reprimand and turned his gaze to the wall instead. Iruka sighed heavily.

"Don't worry 'bout it Iruka." There was a hint of laughter in Genma's voice. "It's my fault really. I've been making it difficult for him to sense my emotions."

Kurama glanced at him sharply. The man was grinning at him, but his eyes were sharp. Kurama stilled as he felt the man's emotions finally become solid enough for him to reach. They were a tangled mess, but none of them were threatening. He could sense sadness, mixed in with regret and guilt.

"I had wondered if you had your mother's ability. Sorry if I put you on edge, Natsuki." There was pain in his eyes, Kurama realized. That's what made them sharp. "I noticed Naruto had a bit of it last night, but you seem to have more control. Probably even more than your mother had when she was alive."

"What are you talking about?" Iruka questioned as he glanced between them.

"Empathy. The ability to sense emotions. Kushina once told me that negative emotions or intentions were the easiest to sense, but if she concentrated hard enough she could sense others. She said it was a 'gift' from the Fox."

Kurama tried not to grimace at the mention of his…mother. The subject of his…parents was still a complicated one for him.

"So, you knew our mother?"

The question slipped out before his brain had time to process what he was asking. Genma grinned lazily, but Kurama caught the sharp stab of grief that his expression didn't betray.

"I knew you, father, better."

Kurama nearly scowled at the non-answer. He opened his mouth to comment, but the irritating shinobi just waved his hand in a dismissive manner.

"Sorry kid, can't tell you anything more."

This time Kurama did scowl. He didn't know why he even bothered asking in the first place. He had figured out a while ago that their parentage was a secret along with their jinchuuriki status. He had come to care for the Hokage during the last twelve years, however, that didn't stop him from questioning the man's decision to keep his brother and him in the dark about their parentage.

"Why did you even bother mentioning them in the first place?" Iruka murmured tiredly.

Kurama wondered whether the man got any sleep last night. He had brought them home, but stayed out in the living room to give them some space. He looked down at the table, suddenly feeling exhausted himself.

"Hm, I suppose you're right." Genma's voice sounded faintly amused. "I guess I'll have to make it up to you then, Natsuki-kun. How about I teach you and your brother a new jutsu? I bet you'll both love it. I'll tell the Hokage that it's part of the reward for the mission."

Kurama glanced at him. If he wasn't so irritated with the man he'd be impressed with that backwards, sort-of bribery. Not that he planned on informing the Hokage that the man had mostly broken a law by mentioning his…parents to him. It didn't look like the shinobi was really worried about that though. If he had he'd be bribing Iruka as well.

Maybe references were fine, but outright telling them who they were was against the law.

"What jutsu?"

Kurama didn't know a human could grin so wide. He wondered how the senbon stayed in his mouth.

"It's called the shadow-clone jutsu."

That fact that Iruka's immediate response was to shout "Absolutely not!" made Kurama twice as interested.

As it turns out he should have been more wary about learning this jutsu. As soon as Naruto and the Yamanaka stepped out of the bedroom, Genma had the twins under each of his arms and was racing across the village to the training grounds with a complaining Iruka right behind him.

They were dropped as soon as Genma landed in the field. Iruka was on Genma in a second dragging him a few feet away to lecture him. Kurama heard something about kidnapping children who had just been kidnapped and something about not teaching them this jutsu. He distinctly heard what sounded like 'can't it be something else?'.

Naruto got a mouth full of grass and had to spend a minute picking it out of his teeth instead of question what was going on. Kurama took pity on him and explained.

"Genma said he was going to teach us a jutsu, as part of the payment for the mission."

Might as well not mention the fact that the man knew their parents. Naruto would never let that sort of information slide away, even if he had to stalk the man.

"Huh." Naruto spat out the last piece of grace with a grimace. "He isn't taking our money is he?"

Kurama smiled. "No, this is just extra."

"Well cool!"

Kurama analyzed the grin on the blonds face with a critical eye. His eyes were still red, which made Kurama wonder if he had been crying during the evaluation with the Yamanaka, but he looked a lot better than before. Naruto saw his concern and his smiled softened.

"Sorry for makin' ya worry. I…" He looked down at his hands for a moment.

"You don't have to be here if you don't want too," Kurama replied softly. "We can go back home if you want."

"Nah, I'll be okay." His grin was a bit shaky, but he seemed determined enough to pretend everything was fine that Kurama decided to go along with it for now.

"So, what jutsu is Genma-san teaching us?"

"It's called the Shadow clone jutsu!"

They both jumped as the shinobi in question appeared before them. Iruka was looking utterly defeated behind him.

"Naruto! Don't use this for your pranks." The brunet teacher snapped irritably.

Kurama raised his eyebrow, as a bubble of worry welled up within him. What exactly was this jutsu?

"Uh, o-okay Iruka-sensei." Naruto stuttered, looking taken back.

Iruka nodded firmly before gesturing for Genma to continue. The other shinobi grinned widely.

"Ok, this jutsu is basically a higher version of the basic clone technique."

Kurama held back a groan. Genma winked at him, making Kurama wonder if the man knew how bad he was at the basic technique or was just reading his facial expressions.

"Watch closing my temporary students!" His hands went through the proper hand movements slowly.

There was a poof of white smoke and suddenly there were two Genma's on either side of the original. All three of them were grinning.

"Now, the difference between the jutsu you guys were taught and this one is number one, the amount of chakra needed and, number two, the fact that these clones are solid. Watch."

His clone's move away from them and began a sparring match. Their fists and feet collided with one another in a deadly dance as they watched.

"Cool!" Naruto exclaimed

"Isn't it!" Genma replied. "Now it's your turn, my temporary students!"

It took twelve tries for Naruto to get his first clone, but from there he went wild and created twenty more. Genma looked surprised and faintly worried while Iruka just looked like he had resigned himself to a miserable fate.

Kurama, himself, was torn between being happy that his brother was enjoying himself despite what happened last night and horrified over the fact that his brother could now multiply himself. He felt a headache forming. It didn't help when thirty copies of his brother started trying to instruct him on how to do the jutsu. He almost started liking Genma for taking potshots at his brother's clones to get rid of them with the added bonus of distracting them from himself.

He managed the jutsu in the end and sighed in relief once he did. The proud smile Iruka sent him, nearly made up for Genma ruffling his hair roughly.

"Good job, Natsu!" Naruto was bouncing in place grinning like a loon.

Kurama let a smile of his own slip onto his face as his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

At least Naruto was happy.

"Well, now that you guys have mastered this jutsu, I'll be on my way." Genma pulled a thick envelope out of one of his vest pockets. "Here's your mission reward, by the way, I'll be expecting a new couch when I visit again."

"Who says we'll let you in the door?" Kurama murmured, but without any real heat. He supposed the shinobi was alright, even if he was irritating.

"Who said I'd use the door?"

He laughed at the scowl Kurama sent him. "See you kids around and good luck with your team placements tomorrow!"

With that said, the man disappeared in a swirl of leaves that had Naruto shouting in surprise. Kurama shook his head and looked up at the sky, noting how late it had gotten. Had they really spend most of the day learning that jutsu?

"Hey, Natsu?" Naruto tugged on his sleeve. "Can we go talk?"

Kurama paused and glanced at Iruka.

The man merely smiled and waved them off. "Go talk, I'll head back home and make dinner for you guys. Don't stay out too late, alright?"

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei!"

After leaving Iruka, they found themselves sitting on top of the Hokage monument, or more specifically the Yondiame's head. Kurama still wasn't certain how he felt about that fact that this was Naruto's favorite spot to think.

Kurama stared up at the sky quietly. There were a few pebbled digging into his back, but he was too exhausted to sit up at the moment. Besides, he was waiting quietly for his brother to find his words.

"Natsu?" Naruto fidgeted for a moment before seemingly finding the resolve to say what he wanted. "Yamanaka-san said that killing was part of the shinobi's job."

"Yeah," Kurama answered quietly. "Iruka taught that to us in school, you know."

"Yeah, but…" Naruto frowned. "It didn't seem as real back then, you know? I thought, well, I guess I thought that I wouldn't have to. I thought we could just do good things and save people…I-I really wanted to save people. So, when I-I stabbed Mizuki-sen…When I killed him, I thought that I had already failed. But, Yamanaka-san…he told me that sometimes, in order to protect the people you care about, you have to make a choice."

The blond was silent for a long moment.

"So, I've decided. I've made my choice." Naruto grinned at him widely. "I've decided that I'll always protect the people I care about, no matter what. That's my nindō, my ninja way."

Despite the grin, there was steel in his eyes.

_I want to protect you too._

He wanted to say those words. They were on the tip of his tongue, but he knew they would sound cheap. After all, what has he truly done for this boy?

Getting himself kidnapped and beaten by a teacher? His weakness is what put Naruto in the position where he had to kill another human being.

Lie to him about being his true brother? He could pretend that he was protecting the boy from the truth, but he knew deep down he was actually protecting himself.

_"…you're saying that we have a…a monster inside of us? A-A demon that almost d-destroyed the village?"_

He closed his eyes.

"I'm sure you will Naruto. You're going to be Hokage someday, after all."

"That true! I'll protect everyone in the village!"

"Yeah."

"Oooh, I can't wait! We're getting our teams tomorrow! I wonder who our teammate will be!? I hope it's Sakura, she's so pretty!"

"She's a bit violent, though."

"Yeah, a bit, but she's super smart too. Do you think our sensei will be cool? I hope so! Can't wait! We're going to be awesome ninjas! I just know it!"

"Yeah."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter the hook, line and sinker team.

Sakura woke up at the crack of dawn.

It had become a habit of hers when she Iruka-sensei taught them that good shinobi always woke early to give them time to prepare for their missions. From that class forward, she had forced herself to wake up at this unseemly hour until it had become an ingrained habit.

It was troublesome at first, but she had slowly begun to love the quiet of the morning. She could relax in the shower with plenty of time to dry her hair and get dressed.

Today, however, she was not relaxed.

She clutched her cup of tea tightly as she stared down at the different dresses laid out on her bed. They were getting their assigned teams today and she wanted to look her best. Her mother always told her she looked stunning in red, but Sasuke-kun never seemed to notice when she wore the color.

She frowned slightly. Maybe if she did something drastic he'd notice her.

She reached up and tugged on her hair. She had heard he liked long haired girls but after several years of him continuously ignoring all of the long haired girls in her class she came to the conclusion that it was just a fake rumor. Maybe if she cut her hair, he'd take notice? The Hyuuga girl was cute with short hair, so it might work.

Then again, her mother would most likely throw a fit.

Her eyes drifted over her dresses once more.

She'd stick with red and keep her hair long for today, but she'll put on some of her mother's make-up to make her look extra good today. Not too much, though, she didn't want to look like that Mami girl who was always caked in make-up.

Her mother didn't usually like her wearing make-up, but she was sure she could convince her to make an exception today. It was a special day after all and unlike the rest of the girls in the class, she was fairly certain who was going to be on her team.

She had read up on Konoha's team history in the Academy library. Though most of her research had been done looking between lines and chatting up the librarian rather than the typical book reading she normally did to keep at the top of the class. She had memorized what clans were usually put together and the typical team dynamic. Two boys, one girl. For each graduating year, Konoha tried to match at least one stealth/tracking team and children from certain clans were always put together. For example, if there was a Yamanaka, Choji, and Nara then they would automatically be put on the same team.

However, none of that interested her. What interested her was the grade placements. From what the librarian said, the top boy and girl in the class are typically paired with the lowest scoring boy in the class.

She had worked hard to maintain her position as the top girl in the class, despite being a civilian born student. Iruka-sensei had told her that was a great feat, especially in a class full of clan member children. She had preened for a week after that, sending smirks towards Ino.

Now her hard worked paid off because Sasuke-kun was the top boy in the class.

She squealed and nearly spilled her tea all over herself. She calmed herself down and set the cup tea on her desk.

She turned back to her dress and took a deep breath.

She'll definitely stick with red today.

Sakura did not expect to meet Ino on her route to school, but she refused to lose to the other girl and raced her all the way to the academy. She nearly cursed that decision when she arrived, however, and tried to dab her face subtly, hoping her make-up didn't run.

There was the daily scuffle for the open seat next to Sasuke-kun, but she was determined to win today of all days. Once seated firmly next to Sasuke-kun, she tried not to show how excited she was for the announcements. He looked as cool as ever with his hands folded under his chin as he stared into the distance. His eyes flickered briefly towards the door when the Uzumaki twins entered, but lost interest immediately and turned back to the back to staring at the blackboard.

Sakura tried not to fidget. She heard a rumor that Sasuke-kun liked sophisticated girls, unlike the loud banshees still screeching behind them

Honestly, they lost the scuffle they should act more mature.

She folded her hands in her lap and glanced over to see if the boy noticed how straight she was sitting.

She nearly saw red when she noticed that Naruto was crouched on the table in front of her Sasuke-kun. Couldn't the annoying boy reframe from ruining her day, for once in his life!? His brother wasn't nearly as annoying. She glared daggers at the blond.

The next few minutes happened in a blur.

All she could truly focus on was how red Sasuke-kun pale cheeks went when Naruto got shoved into him, making them kiss.

She supposed it was a good thing Iruka-sensei came in when he did.

She might have been accused of murder if she had gotten her hands on the blond idiot.

Sakura took a deep breath, trying not to think about how the rumor that Sasuke-kun had not had his first kiss yet, and let it out slowly. It was fine. Everything was fine. She would be on Sasuke-kun's genin team and she would have all the time in the world to catch his attention and eventually be his girlfriend.

Everything.

"Team Seven will be…"

Will.

"Uzumaki, Natsuki…"

Be.

"Uzumaki, Naruto…"

Fine.

"…and Uchiha, Sasuke."

"WHAT!?"

*

Kurama wasn't sure if he would ever get the ringing out of his ears, from the combine shriek from both his brother and Sakura when their team was announced. He reached up slowly to rub his ears and sent a weak glare at his brother.

"Team 8 will be Aburame Shino, Akamaru Kiba, and Hyuuga Hinata."

Naruto, unfortunately, didn't seem to be paying any attention and instead was glaring heatedly at the Uchiha. Naruto had continued trying to befriend the boy over the years, but he was met with cold rejection at every turn. That, of course, didn't stop Naruto from trying for a long time. However, since the Uchiha boy had started making comments about Kurama's inability to perform the low-level jutsus Naruto had become less inclined to befriend him. Their relationship wasn't' exactly antagonistic, but it wasn't close either. After all, Naruto took his "big" brother status very seriously and hated it when people made fun of his "little" brother. Recently the two had started getting into more arguments as the Uchiha's comments about his inability to perform the basic jutsu became more frequent as the final exam approached.

He held back a sigh.

"Team 10 will be Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino."

He had thought that the worst thing that could happen was having one of the irritating fangirls as their teammate, but apparently, they had put up with the Uchiha now. He glanced at Naruto again.

The boy was still glaring.

The Uchiha was glaring right back.

The fact that the two boys had their faces smashed together a mere fifteen minutes ago probably didn't help this situation either.

"Team 11 will be Haruno Sakura, Hasegawa Chou, and Nishimura Kenta."

He saw Sakura wilt out of the corner of his eye. It was the first movement he's seen from her since Team Seven had been announced. He supposed she must have been wishing to get on the same team as her idol.

"Alright, congratulations on graduating everyone! I'm sure you will make wonderful shinobi. Your new sensei's will pick you up here, so please wait until your team is called."

Kurama smiled briefly at Shikamaru and Choji when their sensei called for them but remained beside Naruto as the boy continued to glare at their new teammate. If it had been anyone else Kurama might have told his brother to knock it off already, but he wasn't pleased with being stuck with the Uchiha either. Of all the teams he could have been placed on, he got the team with the only Uchiha in the whole damn village.

_(He could make sure there wasn't anymore Uchiha in Konoha.)_

He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath.

From what he understood from Iruka's lessons and the snippets of memories he received from Kushina, genin teams were a big deal in Konoha. Iruka often old them that teamwork was their villages biggest strength. He wondered if there was some outlet or way to change one's team. Were there cases of teams not getting along to the point where they had to change? He wished Iruka hadn't left the room a few minutes ago. He would have asked him if this choice was permanent. He did not want to be on the same team as the Uchiha.

_(Those disgusting eyes still lingered in his nightmares.)_

He took another deep breath.

"Why do I have to be stuck with you losers?"

"What did you say!? We're not losers! You're the loser!"

He released the breath slowly.

Everyone had left the room now, leaving the three of them alone.

"This is ridiculous." The Uchiha muttered.

"Where's our sensei!?" Naruto frowned while crossing his arms. "Everyone else is gone."

What was he going to do when the boy learned how to use those horrible eyes? He couldn't even look him in the eye right now, even though he knew the Uchiha wasn't powerful enough to trap him like his ancestor did. Working in teams required trust. He trusted Naruto with his life even if he still hesitated to tell him his secret, but he didn't think he could ever relax around the Uchiha.

He was so caught up in his internal panicking he almost didn't sense the familiar chakra settling outside. He paused and glanced at the window in confusion. As far as he knew the other had been on a mission. When did he come back?

"Heeey, Natsu. Wanna help me prank our sensei?" When Kurama sent him a sidelong look Naruto immediately backpedaled. "I mean it's been a while now, it'd serve him right for making us wait, right?"

"I doubt you'd be able to prank a jounin." The Uchiha muttered darkly.

Naruto stuck his tongue out. "Shows what you know! I'll have you know I've pranked plenty of shinobi, I bet pranking a jounin wouldn't be so hard!"

Kurama sighed.

"Even if you caught some genin and chunin by surprise, that doesn't mean you'll be able to prank a jounin. They're on a higher level than you."

"Yeah right! I pranked the Hokage before! Even the strongest shinobi can be caught off guard!"

"You're a liar. There's no way you could have done that."

"Did too!"

"Did n-"

Kurama slowly dropped his head onto the table in front of him with a silent groan. He loved his brother and he was happy the boy was acting like his normal self again, but every argument he had with the Uchiha boy ended in childish temper tantrums from the both of them. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the shouting match occurring right next to him.

"So, are you guys going to continue to ignore me or can we get through our introductions?"

"Gah! Where did you come from?!"

Kurama didn't move but wondered briefly when the man had entered the room. Last time Kurama checked, he had been observing them form outside the window. Slowly he raised his head and looked behind him. Familiar silver hair and a mostly covered face greeted him. The man was slouched in the back row with his feet propped up on the table and a bright orange book in his hand. Kurama raised an eyebrow.

Was Kakashi their sensei?

The man looked at the three of them from over his gaudy orange book. Kurama could almost feel the amusement rolling off of him in waves ad he leaned forward slightly.

"My first impression of this group is… you're a bunch of idiots."

They sojourned to the roof after that statement for proper introductions. Or more aptly, Kakashi vanished with an offhanded "I'll be on the roof" and the rest of them chased after him.

"Alright, let's begin introductions."

While his brother and the Uchiha seemed to be irritated by their new sensei's attitude, Kurama almost wanted to laugh. What were the chances that the anbu who had watched over them as a child and had continued to help him through nightmares would be his jounin instructor? There was undoubtedly something he didn't know about the situation, but he couldn't help but be amused and vaguely relieved. They didn't seem to have much luck with instructors. They were currently at a ratio of two to one with Iruka being the only one to genuinely care for them.

When his brother and the Uchiha didn't look like they were going to respond, he decided to speak up first.

"My name is Natsuki Uzumaki."

This managed to stir Naruto. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm Natsuki's older brother and I'm going to be Hokage someday, you know!"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

"Hmm, I'm Kakashi Hatake. As you may have guessed, I am your jounin instructor."

The man folded his arms over his chest and seemed to look at them thoughtfully for a moment.

"I arrived with the other instructors near the beginning of class and peaked in while my colleagues called out for their teams. None of you noticed. I left for a bit and then came back when the classroom was empty and observed you three from the window. Raccoon eyes noticed me but failed to inform the rest of the team. None of you noticed me enter the room and sit in the back of the class."

Kurama bristled at the nickname while his brother wilted next to him. He noticed the Uchiha boy clench his fists on the other side of his brother.

"In light of this, I decided our first activity will be a survival exercise." He assessed them once more, eye lingering on Kurama for a moment. "Show up at training ground seven at five sharp and bring your training gear. We'll see what this team is made of then. I suggest putting your all into this test, my first impressions of this team is rather pitiful. Oh, by the way, I'd suggest that you don't eat breakfast tomorrow. You'll throw-up. "

With that said he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Kurama's tentative relief over their chosen sensei disappeared with him.

*

Sasuke stared blankly at the fridge in front of him, wondering vaguely if he really wanted to take his new sensei's advice and not eat breakfast. Now that his stomach was grumbling he was hesitating to follow the instructions. Part of him knew that he should listen to his sensei since he was his jounin instructor and obviously knew better than him. While the other part of him wanted to spite the strange man he got stuck with as a sensei.

Then again, he said that they might throw up if they eat and that was definitely not something he wanted to do in front of the Uzumaki twins.

He scowled and turned on his heel to gather his equipment.

He had resigned himself to having annoying teammates, so he shouldn't be upset with his current team, but he couldn't help but feel annoyed.

He shuffled out of the apartment and walked towards the training grounds. The civilian part of the city wasn't awake just yet, but he could see shinobi flicker about on the roof tops, either going out on missions or returning from them. Some of the shops that specifically catered to shinobi were open. He eyed the weapons shop he usually frequented for a moment, before deciding that he had enough supplies for today.

He glanced at the rooftops once more wishing he could he heading out on a mission, like them instead of doing a survival exercise. He kicked a rock out of his path as he exited the main city and began the journey to the training grounds. He should have been paying more attention to his surroundings. If he had remained observant, instead of getting into a useless glaring match and subsequent argument with Naruto then he may have avoided this mess.

He sighed.

He'd just have to do well on this exercise and show the sensei that he wasn't incompetent and was ready for missions.

He was the top of the class after all.

_(He ignored the voice in the back of his mind that reminded him that Natsuki would be second if not for his struggles with the ninjutsu and Naruto wasn't exactly the dead last of the class either.)_

He arrived thirty minutes early and was surprised to find the twin already there. The smaller of the two glanced briefly at him before turning away in a clear dismissal while the blond one glared. He gritted his teeth while he tried to maintain his neutral mask.

That was the thing he hated about the younger twin.

The boy never truly acknowledged him.

They had been sparing partners since they started to learn taijutsu at the academy, yet never acknowledged when Sasuke managed a good hit on him or a win. He never even looked him in the eye.

They stood in silence as the sun slow creeped out from behind the trees. Sasuke kept his eyes peeled for their sensei. He would not be caught unaware this time. He would prove that he was a capable shinobi.

Unlike his teammates. He sneered when he noticed Naruto laying on the ground staring up at the sky with and oddly pensive look on his face, while Natsuki sat beside him with his eyes closed.

Did they learn nothing from yesterday?

He focused his attention back on their surroundings.

The hours passed slowly.

"He's here." Natsuki murmured, his eyes finally opening. He pointed to a tree across the field from them. "In the tree over there."

Sasuke's eyes snapped over to the tree, but he didn't see anything out of place, much less the noticeable figure of their sensei. He was about to snap at the other boy for pulling such a stupid prank when their teacher dropped out of the tree and ambled over to them.

"Good job, raccoon eyes." The man spoke cheerfully. "You noticed me immediately this time, and notified your teammates."

Sasuke scowled.

How did Natsuki notice their sensei when his eyes were closed this whole time?

"You're late!" Naruto accused seemingly snapping out of his earlier mood while he jumped to his feet.

"Hmm, a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take a different route."

Sasuke's scowled deepened. Was this man really a jounin? He didn't act professionally at all.

"Alright, I'm sure you little squirts are eager to begin our little test, so let's get started." Sasuke eyed the man suspiciously. It was hard to tell with most of his face covered, but from his tone, he almost seemed amused. The man pulled out two bells from the weapons pouch on his hip. "See these bells? Well, you have to take them from me by noon. If you do not make the time limit then you will be tied to those stumps over there and will watch as I eat my lunch in front of you. The one who manages to take a bell from me will pass this test."

"There are only two bells." Natsuki murmured. His voice soft, but his eyes were flashing.

"Well, I supposed the person who doesn't get a bell will go back to the academy."

"WHAT!?" Naruto exclaimed and for once Sasuke wasn't irritated by his loudness.

"That's not allowed," Natsuki replied sharply. "Iruka-sensei told us teams were composed of three people."

He narrowed his eyes as their sensei's shoulders shook with laughter.

"I told you yesterday that I wasn't impressed with this team, yeah? Well, jounin instructors have a right not to teach the teams their assigned. Want me to let you in on a little secret?" He leaned forward. "I've failed every team the Hokage assigned me and sent them all back to the academy. I'm giving you guys a little break since I do see some potential in you guys individually. I'll mentor whoever manages to get a bell."

He dug a timer out of his backpack and placed it on top of the middle stump.

Sasuke clenched his fists together.

He couldn't fail.

He had to become a shinobi.

He had to get stronger.

He had to.

"Alright kiddos, make sure you come at me with the intent to kill." The man narrowed his eyes and Sasuke's breath caught from the sudden onslaught of killing intent in the air. "If you don't. You'll never even touch these bells."

His hand hovered above the timer for a moment.

"Begin!"

He dove into the foliage and circled the field quietly, as he planned his attack. He climbed a tree to get a better vantage point as his mind continued to whirl. He watched silently as the jounin stood in the middle of the field, back slouched with a book in hand.

Even if he thought the man was unprofessional he knew he couldn't underestimate him. Shinobi weren't just rewarded jounin status. There was a reason why most shinobi were chunin. From what he understood, even being allowed to take the jounin test was a difficult task much less passing the test itself.

He was also fairly certain he had heard the name Hatake before and if he knew the name, even vaguely, then the man must be a powerful shinobi.

He needed to pass this test.

He couldn't go back to the academy.

He took a deep breath.

He could probably manage a simple trap with the wire and kunai he had packed. If he set it up to release and then attacked from the opposite direction, then he'd have the surprise advantage. He wouldn't be able to rely on the strength of his taijutsu, though. He was one of the tallest students in the class, but he was still several times shorter than the jounin. He would have to rely on speed and flexibility if he wanted to get the bells attached to his belt.

"Hey."

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden greeting. He barely managed not to make a noise. He glared at the longhaired boy next to him. He didn't know how the boy managed to sneak up on him, he was certain he would have heard the sign of someone climbing the tree, yet Natsuki had appeared next to him like a ghost.

"What. Are. You. Doing." He growled.

The boy looked slightly to the left of his face as he answered. "I think this test is a setup. Konoha has always focused heavily on teamwork and each team is composed of three shinobi."

Sasuke frowned. He remembered Iruka's lessons, but…

"He said that a jounin instructor could fail their students and send them back."

Natsuki shook his head. "He said he failed teams, not individual genin."

"Okay, what are you trying to say?"

Natsuki smiled briefly.

"This isn't just a survival test. It's a teamwork test. I doubt any one of us could get the bells on our own. He's a jounin after all" The boy looked down for a moment. "Naruto and I know what jounin's are capable of and let's just say a regular genin wouldn't be able to defeat them unless there were some extenuating circumstances. Not only that but this jounin, in particular, is someone capable of being a member of the anbu. But, if we work together, we might have a chance to get the bells."

"If you're wrong?" He could see the logic, but…

Natsuki looked solemnly above his head for a moment.

"If I'm wrong then I will give you a bell and be the one to fail, deal?"

"Deal. What's the plan?"

"Naruto and I have already created a preliminary plan. First we…"

*

Kurama crouched in position, waiting for his brother's signal.

Convincing the Uchiha to participate was easier than expected, but that was only the beginning. Despite Naruto's confidence and the Uchiha's reluctant agreement that the plan was solid, Kurama knew Kakashi would probably see through it. The man was a former anbu after all. He could only hope their last ditch effort would pay off.

The bushes' moved several feet to his left and suddenly at least thirty Naruto's sprung from the forest. Kurama wasted no time pulling the illusion over himself and darting out to join the fray, shouting insults with the other clones. He knew his brother well and knew exactly how to mimic him.

Kakashi seemed nonplussed by the number of clones and continued to read as they approached.

Being in the middle of the fray Kurama got to see his eye widen when he was suddenly attacked by kunai from behind. The man dodged the sharp weapons his eye narrowing.

The group reached him as the last kunai dropped to the ground and began their assault.

Kurama reframed from wincing as the number's dwindled immediately as the man easily struck the clones hard enough to dissipate them. The numbers didn't seem to bother him much.

They had expected this.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw more clones run out of the foliage as Naruto tried to keep up with the diminishing numbers.

Soon the area was covered in the smoky residue from the clone's dissipation.

More kunai from Sasuke cut through the fog, but Kakashi still managed to dodge them.

Kurama frowned and decided now was a good enough time since the number of clones was going down fast. He darted forward and struck at the man's ankles before flipping into a hand-stand to aim a kick at his head.

He got a knee to the face for his efforts.

He winced as his ankle was suddenly clutched in an iron grip and he was lifted completely off of the ground.

"Natsu!"

"Heh, nice illusion raccoon eyes, but we need to work on your taijutsu."

Kurama smirked as their last resort, a small stone, fell out of his pocket and at the jounin's feet.

"Good thing I brought back-up."

Sasuke appeared in a millisecond right under Kakashi's guard his hands already in position for his clan's specialty jutsu.

" _Great Fireball Jutsu!_ "

Kurama was thrown to the ground.

He managed to look up in time to see Sasuke go flying from a kick to the stomach.

Naruto was by his side in a second, but Kurama waved him off.

"That was a good attempt kiddos. You really came at me with all you had. You were seriously trying to kill me, weren't you? I got to say, that almost makes me like you brats. But-"

There was a jingle of bells.

The jounin froze.

Kurama turned his head to see Sasuke still flat on his back holing up the two slightly steaming bells.

*

He never thought he'd see the day the body replacement jutsu was used against him like that. He was usually the one messing with people with it.

_They used my favorite trick against me. How sly._

They probably didn't even know that was his favorite, either.

Kakashi couldn't hold back the grin if he tried when he saw those bells in the hands of Sasuke Uchiha. He could feel the pride bubbling in his chest. It had been there from the moment he noticed the coordinated attacks but was now was making his chest tighten in a way that almost made him check to see if one of those kunai actually managed to get lodged in there.

Was this what Gai meant when he talked about watching his students succeed?

"Tricky brats." He shook his head as he stared at the three sweaty, and dirt covered faces of his new genin. "Alright, I give up. You passed. All of you."

"Whoohoooooo!"

Despite having expended an enormous amount of chakra to create that virtual army Naruto still had enough energy to leap into the air and do a jig.

"I knew it! I knew you were lien' to us!"

"Actually I was the one who pointed it out, Naruto." Natsuki didn't jump around like his brother did, but his eyes were bright with pride as he climbed to his feet slowly.

Kakashi watched as the boy hesitant briefly before offering a hand to Sasuke to help him up.

"Ok, you brats. Follow me."

He led them to the memorial chuckling softly as Naruto recounted what has just happened in detail with very animated facial expressions and wide arm movements.

"What is this, sensei?"

Kakashi's eye shifted briefly to the small orange haired child before turning to the memorial once again. He must have emanated an air of solemnness because Naruto fell silent almost immediately.

"This is the shinobi memorial. All shinobi who die in battle have their names carved in here." Kakashi eye's traced the familiar names feeling the familiar threads of grief that remained strong even after all these years. "Death is a part of shinobi life. By the time you are my age you, like myself, will know more than a few names on here. Names of comrades. Of Friends and loved ones."

Kakashi tilted his head up to the sky.

"I didn't lie to you when I said that I failed all of the other teams I was assigned. None of those teams displayed what you did here today. They were selfish and tried to get the bells for themselves. A few simple words and misdirections tore them apart and made them forget what should have been drilled into their heads from day one in the academy."

"Konoha's biggest strength is teamwork."

Kakashi smiled at the blond.

"In the shinobi world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. If you learn nothing else from me, then at least remember that."

_("I don't know if I'm the best teacher for them or if I'm even a good teacher at all. I can't say with absolute certainty that I can handle traumatized children. You and I both know that I've never handled my own trauma very well, but for these kids…for sensei's kids for the last of Obito's family…I will try my hardest to make them the best damn team I can. Please, Hokage-sama, let me try!")_


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team dynamics.

"Since you guys completed the test before noon, let's go over that plan of yours over some lunch."

Kakashi led them back to the stumps where his and their backpacks were and pulled out four bentos. He passed them out and sat down with his own in hand. Naruto dug in immediately, while Kurama glanced over the one he was handed before shrugging and doing the same.

"So, how did you come up with the plan?" Kakashi asked bento still untouched in hand. Kurama wondered if the man was going to take off his mask to eat. He had never seen his face before, even after all these years, he spent talking to him at night.

"I wanted to attack you using my shadow clones while Natsu snuck up and stole the bells by pretending to be one of my clones, but Natsu said that this test was probably about teamwork. So we decided to include Sasuke-teme in on the plan. While I search for a good vantage point to attack, Natsu went to talk to Sasuke-teme. Since he's good pretty much everything at the academy," Naruto made a face there but continued on in a cheerful voice. "…it wasn't that hard to add him to the original plan. Natsu came up with the switch with the body replacement jutsu and Sasuke-teme said he knew a jutsu that would catch you off guard. We figured that either Natsu or Sasuke would grab the bells while you were distracted, but you threw Natsu away immediately so Sasuke-teme was the only one who could."

"Hm." Kakashi hummed. "It was a good plan. I wasn't expecting that out of a group of genin, much less you guys. I had assumed Naruto and Natsuki would coordinate an attack and was on guard waiting for Natsuki attack, but I wasn't prepared for Sasuke's appearance."

Kurama saw Naruto grin out of the corner of his eye, flushing with pride. He eyed the half-empty bento in the jounin's hand with suspicion but otherwise didn't say anything.

"Now, what could have gone wrong? In this test or if I was an enemy."

"You could have left, using the body replacement jutsu instead of staying to fight the clones," Sasuke answered immediately.

Kakashi nodded but remained silent obviously waiting for more answers.

Kurama thought about it for a moment. "You could have used me as a shield against Sasuke's attack."

"Uh, you could have had a back-up? Other villages work in teams too, right?" Naruto added scratching his head. "So, you could have been the distraction while your teammates finish whatever mission they had or attacked us while we were focusing one you."

"All good points." He set the empty bento next to him and started to dig in his backpack again. "Even the best plans have holes or faults, that's why it's important to be flexible. And in order to be flexible, you need to know your own strengths and weaknesses and that of your teammates."

He pulled out three folders and flicked through them for a moment. Kurama quietly finished his meal and set it aside as he exchanged curious glances with Naruto.

"Sasuke, you are the most well-rounded in the team and the one with the best chakra control. You have talent and the control for a variety of jutsus, which will serve you well when you activate the Sharingan. Your taijutsu is also very good, but you focus too heavily on strength and less on mobility and flexibility. You're young and while you may be one of the strongest in your class you won't be stronger than an adult shinobi. Your stamina is also the weakest of the three along with your chakra reserves."

Kurama watched as Sasuke scowled and clenched his fists. Kurama could feel the anger radiating off the boy from that assessment of his weaknesses. Kakashi ignored the reaction and continued onward.

"Naruto your chakra control is a little shaky and while you can surprise your opponents with your…interesting taijutsu, it's still sloppy and leaves your defense full of holes. However, with one-hundred and fifty-three successful pranks on other shinobi, including the Hokage himself, you likely have the most ingenuity of the group. You've managed to assess situations and predict your opponent well enough to catch shinobi unaware while utilizing the least amount of supplies possible for the prank itself. You're able to think on your feet and fling around more chakra than most jounin can without breaking sweat."

Naruto flushed with pride. Kurama, himself, couldn't believe someone actually kept track of all the pranks his brother pulled. Kakashi then turned his eyes on Kurama making him straighten slightly.

"Natsuki you have the flexibility and mobility that Sasuke lacks in his taijutsu, and you have more control over your chakra than Naruto, but I still don't think you'll be able to do a lot of justus due to the, ah, oddity of your chakra. Its intensity is a bit too much for a lot of jutsus. From what I understand Iruka has taught you some higher level fire jutsus? That's a start, but it'll still be a lot of trial and error to find jutsus that'll accept your chakra. Also, you have the shortest reach of the three of you and you lack your teammate's physical strength. However, your genjutsu is spectacular for your age and you seem to be a natural at chakra sensing."

"It's more like empathy, sensei," Kurama replied. "I can sense the negative emotions of people. Naruto can too, to a lesser extent. I can differentiate who I'm sensing if I know them, but I think calling it chakra sensing is a bit of a stretch."

"Hm…"

Kurama froze as a wave descended over him.

He could feel his body shaking, but it felt distant.

He tried to swallow but found that his mouth was suddenly completely dry.

He shivered, staring straight ahead of him frozen in place by an onslaught of emotion.

No. Not emotion per say.

Concentrated killing intent.

He had felt a little bit of it with Mizuki, but it wasn't nearly as strong as this.

_(He wondered vaguely if this is what his wrathful chakra felt like to humans. Perhaps this was karma.)_

"Natsu…"

"Natsuki!" He felt Naruto's warm hands on his neck and relaxed as the emotions abruptly left.

Naruto was trembling next to him.

His eyes wide and face pale.

Even the Uchiha looked paler than usual.

Kurama turned to the source of the killing intent. The man hadn't moved an inch, his eye blank. Kurama didn't want to open himself up to another attack by reaching out to try and sense his emotions, so he waited for an explanation trying to subtly catch his breath.

"Empathy is a useful skill for tracking and even in the interrogation department, however, it is a double edge blade. Most shinobi carry a certain amount of darkness in their hearts. It's hard not to considering our jobs, but shinobi are also taught to control those emotions. The most common form of control is by concentrating their negative emotions into what we call Killing Intent. Some shinobi have perfected this skill to the point of immobilizing their opponent without ever lifting a weapon." His eye grew distant for a moment before he continued calmly.

"On the other hand, some shinobi have become desensitized to the point where there will be no negativity when they attack you. Instead of concentrating on the negative emotions and throwing them at you, they shut them down or erase them completely. It's simply the usual business to them. In both these scenarios, your talent may actually be more detrimental than useful. Not to mention the fact that if people find out about it, they may do what I just did and project all of their negative emotions and killing internet onto you in order to cripple you in battle. It's a tricky ability, but we can make it work."

"So!" He clapped his hands. His eye brightened in excitement. "We need to work on establishing individual strengths and combining those strengths into a cohesive whole."

He stood up dusting off his pants. Kurama reluctantly followed, grateful that his legs supported him and he didn't look like a fool in front of everyone by collapsing. Naruto hovered next to him, sending him an uncomfortably knowing look.

"Get ready kiddos. We're going to have a real mission tomorrow."

He could help the small bubble of excited that coursed through him at those words.

Kurama wasn't sure what exactly he had been expecting when he finally became a genin, but pulling weeds in an old man's overgrown garden had never crossed his mind. He glanced at Kakashi, who was giggling while reading his book in the shade of the oak tree and sighed. After years of talk with the man during the late hours of the night, he had thought of him as a good person. A kind soul that was willing to sacrifice his nights to help Kurama. As it turns out, the man was a complete troll with a sadist streak.

This was the third day of non-stop D-rank missions.

Their sensei had said he was trying to get a proper training regimen together for the three of them but hadn't explained anything more than that. All he did was drag them to the mission office in the mornings and sign them up for a variety of D-rank missions to complete throughout the day.

After they were exhausted he had them practicing the basics and other cardio activities till they were ready to drop.

Sasuke had not been thrilled to learn that both of them knew how to tree walk when Kakashi had forced them to teach the other boy. It was a rough day for everyone. Once the three of them were at the same level he forced them to learn water walking by tossing them in the deepest part of a river. Iruka looked like he wanted to chastise the man when they came home soaking wet yesterday and muttered complaints under his breath as he ushered them into a warm shower before dinner.

Kurama glanced at the Uchiha, wondering how bad his aches and pains were after three days of this routine. At least, Naruto and him had his chakra to heal the worst of the muscle strain and sooth the pain. However, the other boy didn't have that option. He knew chakra had positive effects on the human body, allowing them to push further than your average human, but even so...

He glanced at the dark haired boy.

The Uchiha was working slowly with a frown on his face, his movements sluggish.

Kurama frowned and glanced at his brother. The boy worked furiously on his section of the yard. Yanking out flowers as well as weeds. Kurama winced.

Naruto wasn't taking the new missions very well.

While Kurama was irritated, but mostly amused by their sensei's actions, Naruto was getting more and more peeved over the simple missions. Kurama figured it had to do with the Mizuki incident coupled with his brother's high expectations for becoming a shinobi.

He sighed.

After finishing the garden and sat through a lecture about picking flowers instead of weeds, they trudged over to the training grounds. Kakashi ushered them over to the three wooden poles in the middle of the field and proceeded to perch himself on the middle one. The three of the stood awkwardly in front of him before he gestured for them to sit. Kurama eyed their sensei suspiciously, the man seemed too happy today.

"Alright kiddos, let's talk strategy and training."

"From what I've observed and the reports the academy complied it obvious that this team will be an offensive unit. I believe that your best strategy would be pinning the enemy in place and beating them like you did with me. However, we need to work your individual strengths and teamwork."

Naruto raised his hand like they were still at the academy. Kakashi sent him an amused look.

"Aren't all team offensive?"

"Yes and no." Their sensei replied. "All teams are required to know how to fight and defend from an enemy unit, but some teams specialize in specific things such as tracking or defense. When talking about an offensive team I mean a specific team that doesn't have a specialty."

"Ah," Naruto rocked back with a thoughtful look on his face. "So we don't have a specialty?"

Kurama rolled his eyes at the slight disappointment in his tone.

"That's not a bad thing." Kakashi chuckled. "My team was an offensive unit, in fact, most teams are. Specialties are limited to the general tracking/sensor, defense, and genjutsu for Konoha. Other villages may have different types. Among your age group, there is only one future tracking team."

"So, what are you going to train us and when?" The Uchiha butted when Naruto looked like he was going to ask more questions looking irritated at the digression in the conversation.

"Well, Sasuke and Naruto I'll teach you a variety of ninjutsus and we'll focus on fire ninjutsus since that seems to be your element. We'll have to test that officially, though, just in case. However, I want Naruto and Sasuke to be diverse with your ninjutsus. As for individual specialties. Sasuke, since you are the tallest and strongest of the group I want you to learn more advanced taijutsu and shuriken jutsu for long range attacks. Naruto, I think you'll be well suited for traps and eventually sealing considering your history with pranks. While Natsuki will work more on genjutsu and chakra sensing. I know you said your ability is more like empathy, but I think it's similar enough for you to be able to branch into chakra sensing easily. You can too, Naruto, if you're interested, but I think you might have your hands full with traps and sealing."

Kakashi rubbed his hands together.

"When I said you guys will be able to hold an enemy team in place and beat them down, I meant it. Between those clones, Naruto's pranks and Natsuki's illusions you guys should be able to pin any enemy in place to eliminate them or capture them depending on the mission. However, the key to this strategy is teamwork as well as your individual training. It'd be no use if you build up your individual strength only to fail to communicate with one another and fail to trap the enemy."

Kurama took a deep breath analyzing the information slowly as his brother bounce excitedly in place beside him, his early irritation at the D-rank missions seemly gone. Teamwork. He tried to not to glance at the Uchiha on the other side of Naruto, but it was a difficult battle. He had made a truce with the boy in order to pass the bell test, but would be able to fully commit to being his teammate?

He let the breath out in a deep sigh.

It wasn't like he had a choice.

He'd just have to deal with it.

_(He tried not to think of red eyes. At least in the cage, he had control of his own mind, but those eyes, those eyes robbed him of his will. They robbed him of his self.)_

"Alright, my cute little genin. You have the rest of the day off, but starting tomorrow your life will be hell." The grown man giggle. "We'll start the day off with every genins favorite teamwork mission; find Torra."

With that ominous statement, he vanished in a swirl of leaves.

*

(Several Days Earlier)

Sakura was not happy.

She nearly didn't hear her new sensei call for the team because she had been so shocked. She had followed him in a daze to a nearby empty classroom. She clenched and unclenched her fists as she sat there waiting for her new sensei to finish coughing. It had been nearly two minutes since he started. She glanced at the boys to her left. The blond one looked as irritated as she was, while the larger brown haired boy was smiling serenely. She didn't know either of their names and only vaguely recognized their faces. She hadn't cared for any boy other than Sasuke, so that wasn't really a surprise.

Sasuke.

She clenched her fists again.

Since team seven (Sasuke's team)had been called she had been trying to figure out where she could have been wrong in her prediction. She gritted her teeth, it had to have been the Uzumaki twins. She had figured that they'd go to separate teams since that had been the decision for the last pair of twins from the Hyuuga clan, but apparently, that assumption was her mistake.

Now she was stuck with two boys she didn't know and a sensei who wouldn't stop coughing.

As if to spite her thoughts the man took a deep breath and settled down. The man looked at them silently for a moment, Sakura nearly shivered when his eyes landed on her. It felt like he could see right through her. She had to remind herself that even though he didn't look like much, he was still a jounin. Specifically, a jounin selected to teach the future generation of shinobi.

The man sighed and looked down at the folders in his lap.

"Okay, I guess we should begin our introductions. Just tell me your names and a little bit about yourselves. I'll start to show you how it's done." He coughed into his hand briefly before continuing. "My name is Hayate Gekkō.There was a brief awkward silence as the three of them glanced at one another trying to see who was willing to go next before the blond rolled his eyes and began.

"I'm Chou Hasegawa. Call me Hasegawa, don't call me Chou. I like my mom's tonkatsu and I hate my stupid name. I look up to the Fourth Hokage 'cause he was super powerful despite being from a civilian family like me. I hope that I can be like him someday and prove those stuck up clan kids wrong."

Sakura glanced at the other boy in surprise. His pale green eyes were flashing as if he was daring their sensei to disagree with him. Their sensei didn't say anything, so the other boy took the silence as his turn to begin.

"Well, my name is Kenta Nishimura. I don't mind if you call me Kenta or Nishimura. Chou ("I just said not to call me that!") and I have known each other since we were kids, so I like hanging out with him. I don't like bullies or fighting, really, but my dad was a shinobi and I want to be like him."

Sakura sighed, scolding herself for not think about what she was going to say, before starting slowly.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. You can call my Sakura. I like, um, (Don't say Sasuke! Think of something else, quickly!) I like the color red and, um, reading. I don't like failing tests. My dream is to, um, settle down with the person I love."

Sakura smiled slightly at boys curious stares and turned to the jounin, hoping he'd elevate the awkwardness of her introduction. The man coughed as he shuffled the folders in his lap.

"If you're curious," he coughed. "These are the reports compiled during your time as a student at the academy. The jounin instructors are given these in order to have a basis for their team's training."

He sighed.

"I'm not going to lie to you guys." He coughed again. "This team sucks."

*

The next day was hell.

Kurama would have groaned if it wouldn't have alerted their target to his presence under a bush. They had gotten the mission at 7 am, it was now nearly noon. Kurama couldn't believe a single cat could be so wily. The scratches on his hands were almost healed from their last attempt at grabbing the cat, but they still stung slightly reminding him of their failure.

He let out a silent sigh, as he waited for his teammates to get into position.

Naruto muttered curses into the earpiece as he tried to set up a simple trap with ninja wire and catnip. Apparently, the scratches on his hand were stinging as well. The Uchiha was silent, presumably still sulking over his epic face plant half an hour ago when he tried to make a grab for the demon cat despite Naruto and his warnings not too. The Uchiha's perpetual state of anger and annoyance was a mere buzz in the back of his head now, but it spiked every once in a while as their attempts to caught the cat continued to fail. One would assume he, as a thousand-year-old chakra being, would be above feeling vindictive glee over the Uchiha's pain.

One would, of course, be wrong in their assumption.

Kurama did try to hide it, however, by the amused look, Naruto sent him and the Uchiha's glare he failed in that attempt.

"Ok, I got it," Naruto whispered through the com.

"I'm in position with sights on the target," Kurama replied just as softly.

"Me too." The Uchiha muttered.

"I'll give the signal." Naruto took a deep breath. "3. 2. 1. Go!"

Kurama released an illusion of angry dogs towards the meandering cat trying to considerate more on the auditory rather than the visual. Sasuke leaped out of his tree with Naruto's clones on the other side of the cat in order to herd it towards the trap Naruto set.

For a heart-stopping moment, Kurama though his illusions weren't good enough.

Then the cat took off away from the illusionary dogs.

It skidded to a halt when it caught sight of Sasuke and Naruto's clones before going in the direct of the trap.

Kurama could hear Naruto yelling excitedly in the com as the cat got ensnared by the wire.

He let his illusions got while Naruto dispersed his clones. Slowly the three of them ghosted over to the ensnared cat as silently as possible. Despite wanted to end this hell as soon as possible they stood back and watched as the cat discovered the catnip and because to lick at it excitedly.

"So, who wants to grab it?" Naruto whispered cheerfully.

"Sasuke is the only one without scratches on his hands," Kurama muttered back.

The dark haired boy shot him a glare, his face covered in drying blood from his face plant earlier. Kurama raised an eyebrow in return. With a huff, the Uchiha stomped over to the now content cat and tried to pick it up, but struggled with the thin wires still wrapped around the cat's feet.

Naruto chuckled. "I guess I ought to help him."

"Hm," Kurama smiled. "You better hurry up it looks like he about to get his hands tangled as well."

Kurama felt a faint breeze to his left and turned to look up at their sensei.

"Five hours and one trip to the pet store. That's better than most." He said cheerfully.

Kurama rolled his eyes.

"Those illusions were really good too. Most genjutsu beginners struggle with animals, but you made them move naturally. Though I think they sounded more like foxes than dogs. I'll have to introduce you to a friend of mine who specializes in genjutsu." The man moved away to go talk to his other teammates who were arguing as Naruto attempted to untangle both the cat and the Uchiha.

It was a compliment. He knew the man didn't mean anything more than mild constructive criticism, but that didn't stop his muscles from seizing ever so slightly. He took a deep breath and tried to reign in his emotions.

He tried not to think about the possibility of being found out. He didn't want to think about it for a number of reasons. If he was found out then Naruto would know. He would know that Kurama was...

_(A-A demon that almost d-destroyed the village?")_

_(He was too weak as a human. If they found out and tried to trap him. Hurt him. Chain him like they did before. He'd have too…the glass was so thin…he could….but Naruto…)_

He took another deep breath, shoving those wayward thoughts to the back of his mind.

He was Natsuki right now.

No one had found out about him being the Kyuubi, but they would if he continued to be obviously ruffled by innocent comments.

He blamed Mizuki.

He hadn't been this unbalanced and agitated since he was an infant and was still reeling over his new situation.

"Come on Natsu! Stop daydreaming and let's get this stupid mission over with!"

Kurama started at Naruto's call. He glanced at his team and found them waiting, impatiently in Naruto's case, for him. He fixed a small smile to his face and joined his team as they headed back to the mission room.

"Kakashi-sensei can we have a better mission?" Naruto whined. "I'm sick of D-rank missions!"

"If you can master the water ninjutsu I plan on teaching you and Sasuke today, I'll think about it."

"Really!? I'll definitely master it completely, you know!"

_(In the back of his mind, he knew this wasn't healthy. It was really only a matter of time…)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because this chapter was focused on setting up the team dynamics, I spent a lot of time thinking about the different specialties and talents of the characters. As you may have noticed I realized the drawbacks to Kurama's ability to sense negative emotions. As a giant chakra being, I'm sure he didn't feel these effects, but the human body gets funny when it comes to empathy. I figured in a world where killing intent was a thing and large scale battles were the norm there'd be a lot of negative emotions flying around which could be detrimental to someone who could feel them. I dunno, the thought wouldn't let me go and it fit in with the offhanded comment I made in an earlier chapter where Kurama claimed to get migraines for feeling too much negative emotions from people. Naruto is effected as well, but to a lesser expect since I see his ability as less powerful than Kurama's since's his is just an effect of being the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki (also its never really addressed much in the anime or at least the original anime). 
> 
>  
> 
> P.s. About Sakura's sensei, that canon plot point will not change...I apologize in advance.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wave arc begins.

"Alright," Kakashi rolled his shoulders as he centered himself in the middle of the field. They stood a few feet away from him, Naruto bouncing in excitement and Sasuke trying to hide how interested he was in this new jutsu. "This jutsu is called _Hand of Waves_. Watch my hands carefully and memorize the hand signs."

He went through the signs slowly before stopping on the final one and extending his right palm forward.

"Hand of Waves."

A large jet of water blasted from his right palm and extended nearly thirty feet before he cut the attack and turned to them. "This is the water style equivalent to your _Great Fireball jutsu_ , Sasuke. It great for catching your enemy off guard and disrupting attacks. Now, do you need me to go through the hand signs again?"

The Uchiha shook his head immediately unknowingly sparking Naruto's competitive nature. Kurama rolled his eyes when the boy followed suit and refused as well.

"Can you show it to me again, sensei?" He asked, knowing he probably wouldn't be able to manage a water jutsu very well. He didn't want his brother to leave himself at a disadvantage because he wanted to act cool in front of the Uchiha.

The amusement in Kakashi's eye told him that this sensei knew exactly what he was thinking. "Alright, but if you can't do this one we'll work on a fire style jutsu for you."

He went through the signs again, then lined them shoulder to shoulder so they wouldn't hit one another with the blasts. Kurama twisted his hands into the different signs, slowly molding his chakra to the jutsu trying to mimic water.

Sasuke managed a small stream of water, while Naruto himself back with the force of his large blast, which acted more as an explosion of water than the stream of water. Kurama ignored them and concentrated on finishing the signs. His chakra rebelled being forced into its opposite element, but Kurama pushed onward.

He realized what was going to happen a little too late to stop it.

His eyes widened when a blast of his pure flame-like chakra exploded from his hand throwing him onto his back a few feet behind him.

"At least Naruto's was actual water," Sasuke muttered, breaking the awkward silence.

Kakashi chuckled. "You're element's definitely fire."

Sasuke frowned. "What do you mean? I thought people only had an affinity for certain elements, they aren't the actual elements."

"Natsuki's chakra is a little different than most," Kakashi answered vaguely as he helped Kurama to his feet. "You two continue practicing, while I teach Natsuki something else."

"I'll definitely master this jutsu today!" Naruto responded. "And when I do you better get us a real mission."

Kakashi chuckled. "I said I'll think about it, but only if you manage this jutsu. You're running out of daylight so you better hop to it."

"Yes, sensei!"

Kakashi pulled Kurama away from them in order to give them space to practice.

"Natsuki," Kakashi started, once they were a decent enough distance away. "What fire style jutsus has Iruka-san taught you so far?"

"He taught me the _Exploding Flame Shot_ ," Kurama replied.

"That's all?" Kakashi questioned.

"He also taught me some genjutsus. He knew more of those than he did fire style jutsus."

"I see. Alright, show me the _Exploding Flame Shot_ and then I'll teach you something else."

Kurama nodded and moved his hands in the proper hand signs for the jutsu. As his hands landed on tiger he felt the swell of his chakra create a ball of flames on his hands as he separated them. He glanced around for an appropriate target before tossing the one in his right hand towards a medium sized boulder. The Flames exploded upon impact sending rubble flying as the jutsu took out a chunk of the boulder. He tossed the other one to create another crater in the rock.

"Hm, good." Kakashi praised. "You didn't struggle with that at all even though it was a C-rank jutsu, most genin struggle with anything above D-rank. I suppose the amount and intensity of your chakra would make it easier, but you have good chakra control for your age."

Kurama smiled faintly.

Kakashi watched him for a moment. "The Hokage has talked to you about your chakra, right?"

Kurama grimaced at the memory of that awkward conversation. "Yes, he said that since I was born with no chakra coils of my own, that the Fourth Hokage had to adjust the seal which allowed me to use the…Kyuubi's chakra as my own."

Kakashi nodded. "We don't really know the effects of your situation so…"

"I'm fine, aren't I?" Kurama snapped without meaning too. "I mean…I'm sorry…"

Kakashi waved his hand to show that he wasn't offended. "I know, don't worry. I think you're doing great despite the situation, but I just wanted to warn you that there are some people in some pretty high positions who don't necessarily agree with teaching you a lot of ninjutsu. Something about possession and superstition, honestly, I wasn't really listening. They pulled me into a meeting a few days ago to try and dictate what I taught you guys. I just wanted to let you know since it concerns you."

"Ah…" Kurama frowned thoughtfully. Possession? He wasn't sure he was even able to do that even as a bijuu. Sure his chakra could overwhelm the system and leave his unfortunate container in an animalistic state temporarily, but the seals he had been in protected the jinchuuriki's mind thoroughly. That's what made influencing them so difficult. He could only capitalize on strong emotions. "So…are you going to continue to teach me more ninjutsus anyway?"

Kakashi didn't seem the type to allow others to dictate what he did or didn't do. Kakashi winked at him instead of answering. Or perhaps he simply blinked. Even after years of chatting at night it was still difficult to judge some of his expressions.

"Between your brother's and your huge chakra reserves and Sasuke's exceptional skills, it would be a shame, a tragedy really, if I didn't teach you guy's any powerful ninjutsus. All of you guys. Now that I know what I'm working with I think I can create a sizable list for you. Your teammates will, of course, have much more variety with their jutsus, but I'll find you enough to keep up with them. Between your genjutsu and the abundance of fire style jutsus I'm sure we can make it work, the superstitious folks be damned."

"You don't think excessive use of the Kyuubi's chakra will get me possessed?" Kurama asked slyly.

Kakashi simply laughed.

"Ok, let's move onto the jutsu I want to show you." He hands began to move slowly through the signs. "This is called the _Phoenix Flower jutsu_."

His hands ended on the tiger and several small balls of flames appeared around him. With a flick of his fingers, he moved the volley of fireballs through the air, creating complicated patterns before letting the jutsu go.

"It'll only cause secondary burns if the enemy can't evade them, unlike the _Exploding Flame Shot_ , this jutsu is used more as a distraction and doesn't have the same level of impact. The key is control. If you can control the flames completely then you can force your enemy to focus on evading, leaving no time for a counter attack. Go ahead and try it. Do you need to see the signs again?"

"No, I've got it," Kurama replied his hands already moving.

He manifested the same amount of flames Kakashi's did, and it wasn't long before he was sending them zooming around the field. His chakra happy enough to comply now that it wasn't being forced into a different element.

"You're learning curve is ridiculous," Kakashi muttered, but Kurama ignored him.

_(Of course, he would be able to do something as simple as this. Fire was his element, after all. Controling it was child's play.)_

As focused as he was on creating a complicated pattern he didn't hear the argument break out between Naruto and Sasuke. Nor did he feel the sudden influx of chakra as the two both decided to attempt to use their new jutsu on one another.

Kurama did, however, notice when he was suddenly assaulted by an ungodly amount of water and sent flying into the bushes lining the edge of the field...

"How are your scratches?"

Kurama lifted his hands up for the jounin to see. The wounds on his hands and arms from the thorn bush Naruto's and Sasuke's combined water ninjutsu had thrown him into, had already closed. Kakashi hummed in response as he settled down on the roof beside him. Naruto was snoring inside, while Kurama stretched out on the roof to watch the stars. Convincing Naruto he was fine on the roof was a struggle every night since the Mizuki incident, but he managed to prevail tonight. He figured it must have been because Naruto was still feeling guilty over throwing him into the thorn bush.

"So, are we going to get that C-rank mission you promised Naruto? He did manage to do it, even it even if it was mostly by pure luck and bullheadedness."

There was a soft chuckle. "I didn't promise anything. I said I'd think about it."

Kurama shot him a look.

The chuckle turned into a full blown laugh. "Alright, alright, I'll look around and see what's available. Give it a few days though I want to break you guys in on the new training before we take that step. Most C-ranks are outside of the village, you know."

"Naruto technically already completed an A-rank mission," Kurama replied, just to be contrary.

"True, true. How's the new couch?"

Kurama said up and eyed the man suspiciously. "How'd you know about that? You've been avoiding these talks since you became my sensei. Did that Genma, person tell you?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're paranoid?" Kakashi rolled his eyes when Kurama simply narrowed his. "Genma and I are friends, he told me about the situation when I told him I was your new sensei."

A large hand descended on his head, ruffling the already messy locks.

"For the record," Kakashi murmured. "I'm sorry for not showing up for so long. I wasn't sure how'd you react to me being your sensei."

Kurama huffed. "How many years have you been keeping me company? You should know that I don't care. I'm just glad we have a sensei I can trust. One that won't ignore or be hostile towards Naruto and I."

"Hm, I suppose it was silly of me then. How well have you been sleeping? It's been a couple of weeks since I was out on a mission right before you graduated."

Kurama sighed and flopped back down in an undignified manner. "Same as before. I still struggle to fall asleep and get woken up by nightmares, but not as often as I did when I was younger. I can usually get about three or four hours of sleep each night."

"I supposed that's better than no sleep," Kakashi replied before sighing and running his hands through his hair. "Ah, I'm not a good adult. I should be telling you to get professional help."

Kurama frowned as an uneasy feeling washed over him. "I don't want anyone poking around in my head."

"I know, kid. Trust me, I know."

They switched the subject to something lighter and conversed for some time after that. Around midnight, Kurama felt his eyes grow heavy. He didn't fight it, knowing that his body really needed more sleep than he tended to give it. He felt Kakashi lift him up and deposited him on the bed with his still snoring brother before completely descending into unconsciousness.

The next day Kurama woke up first and silently got dress before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast. Naruto followed behind him a little while later, most likely having been woken up by the smell of food. He didn't immediately start pestering him for food, however, which made Kurama eye him in confusion.

"What are you looking at?" Kurama finally asked.

"Kakashi-sensei gave me a book about traps. It's really cool, Natsu!" Naruto tapped the page he was on for emphasis. "I didn't know you could do these things with ninja wire and kunai!"

"Ah," Kurama smiled in amusement at his brother antics before turning back to the omelets.

Naruto had been excited about learning about traps, easily relating them to his pranks. Kurama set the plates on the table and dished out the omelets. Naruto's eyes barely moved from the page as he tried to devour his food and continue reading.

They went to the training ground immediately after breakfast to continue training with their team. Two days seem to pass in a blur of team building exercises, taijutsu katas and sparing, and individual training. Kurama had no choice but to pass out at the end of each day, much to Kakashi's amusement.

Finally, at the end of the second day, they heard back from their sensei about the C-rank mission Kakashi promised them. The man gestured for them to sit at the base of the three poles at their usual training grounds while perching himself on the middle one. This spot seemed to have become their regular discussion place, Kurama noted with amusement as the other two boys fell into their normal spots. The Uchiha in a formal seiza position, while Naruto flopped down on his back still panting from their taijutsu practice.

Kurama sat down on Naruto's right and crossed his legs in front of him.

"Now that you guys have begun to get the hang of your training, I think its best that I keep my end of the bargain from a few days ago and allow you guys to go on a C-rank mission." Kakashi tossed them each a packet while he spoke.

Naruto sat up, his earlier exhaustion forgotten as he scanned the mission assignment in the packet excitedly. Kurama rolled his eyes and turned to his own packet.

"This'll be your first mission outside the village, but don't get too excited." His eye narrowed at Naruto, who smiled in embarrassment. "As the packet will tell you, this will be an escort mission. We just need to bring our target from here to his home in the Land of Waves. Since it's only a C-rank mission the most we'll encounter is a few robbers or wild animals."

"Don't get our hopes up sensei," Naruto muttered, but there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes and the curve of his lips proved that he was joking.

Kakashi just rolled his eye and continued. "I compiled a list of supplies I want you guys to get tonight. Meet me at the mission room in the Hokage tower tomorrow at 6 am sharp. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei." They chorused in return.

Kurama shared a small smile with his brother as they left the training grounds and headed towards the shopping district. Despite Kakashi claiming that it wouldn't be dangerous, it was still a mission outside of the village. Though Naruto was probably excited over the idea of seeing the world outside of the village, Kurama couldn't prevent the small bubble of excitement course through him at the thought of leaving the village he had been trapped in for so long. Whether it be in a seal or as a human child, he had been here long enough to feel a bit stir crazy.

He hoped a small journey would help ease his frayed nerves. He forced himself to go to bed earlier that night but still laid awake for several hours before he could fall asleep. The next morning was a whirlwind of excitement at their apartment as Naruto attempted to pack all of their material objects forcing Kurama to organize his brother's bag as well as his own, searching for useless items and putting them back in their proper place in the apartment.

The havoc nearly made them late, but a reckless run on the rooftops allowed them to stomp through the door with a minute to spare.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes at them but didn't comment. They waited in silence for their sensei to show up with their client. Chunin roamed the room chatting quietly, sorting mission scrolls and filling out paperwork. A few shinobi flickered in to hand over scroll while other's took off with one clutched tightly in hand.

Six turned to seven before slowly creeping into eight o'clock. By eight-thirty they were significantly less excited. Kurama sighed. Kakashi had mostly shown up on time, or nearly on time, for training. He had almost forgotten the man made them wait hours for the bell test. Some of the chunin chuckled at them, whispering about Kakashi's infamous lateness. Finally, their sensei arrived, with the client in tow.

He smelled like booze.

That was the first thing Kurama noticed about their client.

Why was the man already drunk this early in the morning?

Kurama wrinkled his nose as their client sauntered in the door, swaying on his feet as he made his way over to their group. He tried not to breathe too deeply when the man got close. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the Uchiha's scandalized expression smooth into his perpetual scowl nearly as quickly as it came. His brother was shuffling restlessly behind him. He didn't blame him. They always had the worst trouble with drunks. Apparently, alcohol gave even the weakest man the nerve to attack the "demon twins".

"Alright kiddos, for our very first C-rank mission we'll be escorting Tazuna-san here back to his home in the Land of Waves and guarding him while he finishes his bridge." Their sensei cheerfully ignored their skeptical looks as he ushered everyone out the door despite the protest from them and strangely enough Tazuna, himself.

"Why did I get a bunch of kids?" The man muttered sourly, casting an assessing gaze over the three of them as they travel through the city towards the main gate. "I thought I told 'em that I wanted a shinobi escort."

"We are shinobi!" Naruto replied with a scowl.

"You paid for a C-rank mission, sir," Kakashi answered calmly, rubbing Naruto's head roughly in warning. "It is a fairly general rank that both chunin and genin teams can take. My students are new genin, but I think they're prepared enough to deal with a simple escort mission."

The man's scowl deepened and he took another long swig of his bottle.

Kurama frown at the mixture of emotions oozing off of him. He barely had to reach out to feel the anxiety, fear, and shame mixed into a depressed mess. However, the fleeting feeling of guilt caught most of his attention. He watched the man silently as the made their way to the front gate. Barely managing to reply to Kakashi's impromptu quiz on what they packed for the trip.

The man caught his staring and scowled at him, but his fear spiked drastically and the guilt made another appearance.

Kurama finally turned his gaze away when the man started to look visibly uncomfortable, but his mind was still puzzling over the oddness.

There were a lot of civilians who were scared of shinobi, but the man's fear didn't seem to be focused on him.

Did he not like seeing younger shinobi?

Kurama glanced at him again.

That was a possibility. Kurama had learned that humans were very empathic towards children, even those that weren't of their blood. Although they were considered adults by the shinobi law since becoming genin, a civilian might not see it that way. They were only twelve after all.

Kurama shook those thoughts from his mind as they reached the front gates.

Naruto practically leaped through them looking exceptionally excited to see the outside world. Even the Uchiha had a bounce in his step, his perpetual scowl nowhere in sight until he caught Kurama looking his way. Kurama rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop the smile creeping onto his own face as he took his first step out of the village, as a free being, in over fifty years. It almost didn't matter that he was still stuck in a human body with the ever present threat of being exposed hanging over his head. His eyes wandered over everything as they began their journey down the well-worn road.

Kurama eyed the large tree branches overhead. He wanted to run through the trees, but since it was an escort mission they'd have to stay on the ground with the client.

A hand settled on his head, breaking him out of thoughts.

He glanced up at Kakashi, who was looking at him in amusement.

"You've been very distracted this morning."

Kurama fought back a blush of embarrassment. "I'm just a little overwhelmed with leaving the village for the first time."

"Hm," Kakashi replied, retracting his hand after giving his hair a quick ruffle. "That's normal, I suppose, but you can't drop your guard even for a C-rank mission."

"Yes, sensei."

"Good," Kakashi replied before clapping his hands together, making everyone else jump. "Alright, since the journey will take approximately three days at least, we're going to do a little training while on this mission. I've seen those longing looks of yours, so today we'll start off simple with some branch running. Don't go any higher that the lowest branches and follow the road. I'm not going waste my time searching for a foolish lost genin. Also, try not to get ahead of yourselves. I know you've practiced a bit over the last couple of days, but unlike on the training grounds, we don't have a handy hospital for any broken bones. Now, shoo."

They were gone before he could even finish his last word. Kurama shared an excited grin with Naruto as they ran up the nearest tree. He could hear their client shout in surprise below them, but he paid him no mind.

As a human child these ancient trees, which barely scrapped his underbelly as a bijuu, were huge. Even the lowest branch was well above the ground, he glanced at his brother feeling slightly apprehensive only to find him preparing to jump to the next branch.

"Naru-"

"Catch me if you can Natsu! Whoooo!"

Kurama's heart nearly stopped as he watched his brother leap through the air nearly missing the next branch as his feet slipped slightly when his miscalculated the chakra need to maintain his position. That didn't stop him, though. He was off again in the next second, Sasuke close behind him. Kurama let out a sigh before jumping after them.

It was a struggle to maintain the proper chakra for leaps and landings at first, but once Kurama got the hang of it the run was exhilarating. He laughed as he startled a bird from its nest and watch as the ground nearly disappeared when he leaped into the higher branches. The wind whistled in his ear sending his braid flying behind him like a whip. He laughed again as he leaped passed the tree line and into the sky, allowing gravity to pull him down to the next branch. His weight made it shake from the impact and startled his brother this time.

He hadn't felt this sort of freedom in a long time.

"No fair!" Naruto shouted as Kurama passed him going upwards again. "Kakashi-sensei said not to go higher! Natsuuuki you cheater!"

Kurama only laughed in return, wishing he could tell Naruto how freeing this experience was to him. Naruto was excited because this was his first time out of the village, but he had never been trapped in a seal kept from the forest, his home, for years and years. He leaped up to the top of the tree line again and paused to watch the sky from the tallest branch able to support his weight. The sea of tree extended further than the eye could see in each direction, only broken by Konoha in the distance behind him. Though it too would soon become swallowed by the trees they further they got from it.

_(He had always loved the way the forest did that. Swallowing up even his giant form once far enough away.)_

He touched the trunk of the tree, reaching out to the natural chakra within the wood slowly and chuckling as it touched his own hesitantly at first then almost excitedly when it recognized his chakra. Even if his body was human, his chakra was still that of a bijuu and this was his territory in the past. He pulled away, not wanted to overwhelm his body with nature chakra. For all that it held up with his own intense chakra, the natural chakra of the world would still be too concentrated for his body to handle. He glanced down at his hands in disappointment.

_(If he didn't have this body…if he just broke the already weakened seal….then he could…he could…)_

He shook those thoughts away and leaped down where he heard his brother calling for him.

Kakashi reigned them in after an hour and had them running short scouting missions, observing the road ahead of them and coming back to describe what they saw. When Kakashi and their client reached the area they described, Kakashi would point out the things they missed.

They made camp several hours before the sun started to go down at their client's instance. Kurama helped Kakashi set up the tents and fire while Naruto and the Uchiha went out for firewood, water and to hunt some prey for food.

"Try to focus on their chakra rather than their emotions." Kakashi chided him as he had him practice sensing while working on the tents.

He only scowled in response. The multitasking made it difficult to keep tabs on chakra and Kakashi knew that. He could find Naruto's easily enough, considering the boy had the other half of his own chakra seal away, but the Uchiha's was proving to be more difficult even after the time they had spent training together and even longer in the same class at the academy. Kurama blamed his struggle on the boys overwhelming and constant irritation at the world. It got in the way of his chakra.

Or at least, that's what he told himself and Kakashi when he chided him again.

His sensei just rolled his eye. "That's not how chakra works and you know it."

Kurama felt the childish need to stick his tongue out at the man but refrained when the tent pole bent again and nearly took his eye out with the recoil.

"Didn't you guys learn how to set up tents in the academy?" Kakashi asked incredulously. The other two tents for him and their client already set up behind him.

"We were supposed to, yes, but Naruto pulled a prank on a couple of the girls during the camping exercise by scaring them with falling bugs while they were setting up their tent. They flailing caused their tent pole to tear through the cloth. So, Naruto had to give up our tent as punishment." Kurama replied tersely.

He didn't actually mind at the time, sleeping under the star was his preference, but in hindsight, he wished he had more experience with tents. They had only gone on one camping trip during the academy to learn the basics of survival in the wild, so now he was stuck with this monstrosity of a tent and a cackling sensei who apparently wasn't going to help him. Their client just raised his eyebrow from his position across the camp.

Eventually, Kakashi took pity on him and taught him how to put it together. By the time they were finished Naruto and the Uchiha had returned with a couple of rabbits and an ample amount of water and firewood. Kakashi then reviewed the process of skinning and cooking with them before shooing them off to work on their taijutsu katas and sparing.

The next day passed in a similar manner, though Kurama couldn't help but puzzle over their clients growing dread.

It wasn't until mid-day on the third day that they learned the truth.

They were all walking on the path as Kakashi described the different nations and hidden villages to them when Kurama sensed it. A small amount of ill-intent, too weak to be considered killing intent and therefore under Kakashi's radar, made him stop in his tracks. He glanced around trying to pinpoint where the emotion came from before his eyes landed on a pool of water behind Kakashi.

He frowned.

Why would a puddle have negative emotions, much less ill intent towards them?

His question was answered immediately when two shinobi rose from the water and trapped Kakashi in their chains.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted.

Kurama watched as the chain tightened and felt his sensei's chakra move into the trees beside the road as he made a very convincing show of being broken into pieces. When he didn't attack the enemy immediately Kurama decided that this was probably a hands on test for them.

He could feel Naruto's sudden spike in anxiety and fear at seeing their sensei's "death". He felt the other half of his chakra surge in response to his brother's emotions and tugged the boy's collar, sending him sprawled out behind him and hopefully snapped out of his haze.

"Team seven defensive position! Guard our client!" He snapped jumping away from an attack while pulling out a couple of kunai.

His order managed to snap Naruto out of his growing panic for which Kurama was glad. He didn't know if he could handle a berserk Naruto wielding his own chakra right now.

They formed a triangle with the client in the middle and the Uchiha on point. The enemy attacked a second later, only to run straight into the Uchiha's Great FireBall jutsu. As they jumped back, Kurama shared a look with Naruto and they both threw kunai to intercept and pin the enemy's chains to a nearby tree, halting their movement.

"Sasuke-teme. That jutsu!" Naruto shouted.

Kurama winced and stepped behind them pulling their client further away and preparing to launch his Explosion Flame Shot, just in case the enemy got through Naruto and Sasuke.

" _Hand of Waves_!" Naruto shouted when he finished the hand signs.

The enemy shinobi made to leap over Naruto and Sasuke toward Kurama and their client, but they were met with twin blasts of water from both Naruto's and Sasuke's hands. The force of Naruto's jutsu set him flying back onto his butt while Sasuke managed to maintain his footing, only sliding back a few inches.

The enemy shinobi, however, were now hanging from the branches of a nearby tree soaking wet and looking disgruntled.

"Nicely done, my cute little genin." Kakashi leaped back onto the road from his hidden position. "You too are ridiculous with that jutsu. It's C-rank you know, your average genin wouldn't be able to pull it off."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted happily.

Kurama relaxed when he felt the buzz of his chakra disappear from Naruto's system.

The man raised his hand in greeting. "Hi."

"Was that a test of our ability's?" Kurama asked.

"Yes and no." Kakashi snatched the two shinobi out of the tree before they could make an escaped and held them under his arms like naughty children. "Let's talk after we secure these two."

Once the shinobi were tied to a tree with their own chain Kakashi began to explain.

"I wanted to see how well you guys would hold up in a dangerous situation like this as well as observe who their target was." He tapped their forehead protectors. "Kiri isn't exactly our allies, but they haven't been overly hostile with us lately either. So, I didn't think they were attacking us, but I had to make sure. As it turns out they were aiming for our dear client here. Their attacks were a little too high to be for you guys. I image they wanted to get to the client and underestimated your defense."

He shrugged. "That was their mistake, in the end. Though, it must be embarrassing for a couple of Kiri shinobi to be defeated with a water style jutsu."

The Kiri shinobi on the right growled lowly, while the left simply glared.

"How did you find out about our attack?" The right one demanded his voice muffled by the underwater respirator attached to his face.

"Hm, a puddle in the middle of the road when it hadn't rained in a week?" Kakashi rolled his eye and gestured to Kurama. "Even my genin noticed something was wrong and he just graduated!"

Kurama refrained from correcting him, but he figured the man already knew. If Kurama hadn't noticed the ill-intent he would have likely passed the puddle unaware despite Kakashi's insistence on observing their surroundings. Naruto grinned proudly at him.

Kurama noticed Sasuke roll his eyes out of the corner of his.

"So," Kakashi continued as he turned to their client, his voice deceptively calm. "Why do you have shinobi after you? You only asked and paid for the standard escort, which most certainly doesn't cover defending you from enemy shinobi."

The older man looked down at the bottle in his hand as if he was debating whether not it'd be easier to drown himself in alcohol or answer the questions of an irate jounin. Honestly, with the way Kakashi's only visible eye was narrowed and focused on the man, Kurama didn't blame him.

"No answer? Alright, let me rephrase it." Kakashi gestured to them. "Why did you decided to put my students in danger by intentionally miss-ranking this mission?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note on Natsuki/Kurama's chakra. Since bijuu are pure chakra I figured his elemental affinity would be way stronger than your average humans and in fact resembles the element. That, of course, also makes it subjected to the faults as well, one of which being him being unable to change/mold his chakra into any water style jutsus. I dunno, I feel like I'm giving him a lot of handicaps, but at the same time that was one of the main premises of the fic, to follow his struggle as a human instead of an all powerful bijuu. It's not like he's weak by any stretch, he's considered a genius (I'll probably touch more on that in the chunin arc) and has considerable power and control over his movements and chakra. He just struggles with maintaining the power of a bijuu in a much weaker human body. He'll get better and stronger, eventually. I just have to shove his face in the dirt a little more.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Zabuza.

Naruto brushed his shoulder against his brothers, wanting nothing more than to grab his hand, but he didn't want to look weak in front of Sasuke. His heart was still pounding and he couldn't focus on the old man's tale, though it was not for a lack of trying.

He had seriously thought that Kakashi-sensei had been killed. For a blinding moment, he had been so filled with rage and fear that he couldn't breathe.

Even know he still felt the barest hint of chakra that wasn't his own, still in his veins. It burned and made him shiver and sweat.

He vaguely recalled this feeling from years ago.

He closed his eyes trying to calm his racing heart. If his brother hadn't said anything he was sure that he would have ended up like he did years ago when Natsu had been attacked by that instructor. He didn't remember much, but his brother had told him that the Kyuubi's chakra had taken over, making him wild and violent.

He tried to suppress a shiver.

He didn't want that to happen again.

He could still recall the pain of the burns across most of his body, but more importantly, he had hurt Iruka-sensei. He took a deep breath, grinning softly when he noticed Natsu glancing at him worriedly. He wished he could be like his brother sometimes. Natsu never seemed to struggle with being overcome by the demon. His brother was so cool.

He turned his attention back to their client and his sad situation.

"I just did this for the sake of my village. Gatō is killing us. I'm sorry." The man held his hands out in deference as he lowered his head. " My daughter and grandson are counting on me and I couldn't think of any other way."

Naruto glanced at Kakashi-sensei. The man's face was startlingly blank. Naruto didn't realize how expressive he was, despite covering most of his face, until now when the emotions were gone. He glanced at Natsu, wondering if his brother could tell what emotions their sensei was feeling right now. Natsu, insisted that Naruto could feel emotions if he tried, but Naruto had only ever felt the touch of negativity from people when it was directed towards him and his brother. He didn't understand when Natsu explained how he reached out to touch other people's emotions, nor really how to control the burst of negativity he sometimes felt from others.

He looked back at his sensei.

The man was shaking his head. "Regardless, of your situation, you've lied to a hidden village and put my students at risk by this scheme. I cannot allow this mission to continue…"

"Wait!" Naruto gasped while stepping forward. "This is our first C-rank mission! We can't just give up!"

He crossed his arms and frowned. He had been looking forward to this mission, he didn't want to go back!

"I understand, Naruto, but the threat of other shinobi has made this mission B-rank at least borderline A-rank since our village is not exactly friends with Kirigakure," Kakashi-sensei spoke gently, but Naruto couldn't help but argue.

"Natsu and I completed an A-rank already! And, we handled those shinobi just fine while you ran off and hid!"

"What." Sasuke butted in looking even more irritated than normal as he practically growled his question. "What A-rank?"

"Even so…" Kakashi-sensei sighed, but Naruto didn't let him continue…

"I already killed an enemy shinobi." He glared defiantly up at his sensei trying to convey how serious he was. "We can do this."

The man sighed again as he rubbed his hand over his face. Naruto closed his mouth trying to push back bad memories. Even if the drunk old guy lied to them, he did it because he wanted to help his village. Naruto became a shinobi to help people. It started out rough with Mizuki, but he was determined to make good on that goal. He was a shinobi now.

He glanced at his teammates wondering for the first time if they supported him.

Sasuke was giving him an unreadable look, but nodded decisively when he meet Naruto's eye. Natsu smiled and nodded at him, but his eyes were a little sad. Sometimes he was like that, though, so Naruto didn't dwell on it too much. Despite all of Naruto's attempts to keep him happy, his brother just got sad sometimes for no obvious reason that Naruto could see. He would smother his brother in comfort when they settle in for the night, but for now he shuffled slightly closer and pulled up all the positive emotions he could, knowing his brother would feel them. Sure enough, within seconds, his brother's eyes crinkled as he gave him a more genuine smile.

Naruto turned back to Kakashi-sensei only to find him looking at him intently.

"Sasuke, what do you think?"

"I think we should continue," Sasuke replied. "Naruto's right, we can handle it."

Naruto grinned, deciding at the last minute not to try and high-five the other boy. That probably wouldn't go over well and Naruto didn't want him to change his mind out of spite.

"Natsuki?"

"I think we should continue, as well. We've trained hard and besides, we have you."

Natsu tilted his head in the way he did when he was sharing a joke, but Naruto couldn't see the punchline. He glanced suspiciously between the two, wondering if he was missing something. Now that he thought of it, Natsu did seem to have an oddly close relationship with their sensei. He opened up quicker than he normally would to strangers.

He shook the stray thoughts from his head.

"Alright…" Kakashi-sensei started. "We can continue, but if it looks like it is getting to be too dangerous I reserve the right to terminate the mission and head home."

The three of them nodded.

"Great! Thanks!" The old man grinned widely.

Kakashi-sensei simply glanced at him with an unimpressed look in his visible eye.

"Thank my students. I'd prefer to see you arrested in Konoha."

Naruto grinned at the man when he turned to them. "Sure thing, old man! We're shinobi, after all. Shinobi are supposed to protect people!"

"Alright kiddies." Kakashi clapped, his mood changing drastically. "Why don't you goes go ahead while I deal with these guys before they try to run. They've already undone the knots."

Sasuke opened his mouth, but after a quick glance at his brother Naruto grabbed the dark haired boys shoulder and pulled him away as his brother ushered their client down the trail after them.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke muttered trying to pull away, but Naruto had a good grip on him.

"Kakashi-sensei is taking care of the enemies, we need to go. Sensei doesn't want the client to see."

Or us. Naruto added silently, feeling a little bit relieved.

That seemed to make Sasuke understand. Naruto glanced at him, wondering what was going on in his mind. He was smart, even Naruto would admit that and usually got the subtle things before Naruto did, though not before Natsu did. Naruto looked over at his brother. He was engaging the client in some small talk about his family and home. The man looked sick to the stomach and kept glancing back.

When he caught Naruto looking he flinched and looked away.

Naruto realized with a start that he had just admitted to killing someone.

He looked down at his feet, lagging slightly behind his brother and the client.

Sasuke walked beside him.

"Who?"

Naruto glanced at him. Sasuke didn't look frightened or disgusted, just curious.

"Mizuki." He replied. "He kidnapped Natsu and threatened to kill us. I killed him instead."

Sasuke nodded. "Was is easy?"

Naruto grimaced. "Yes."

He nodded again. "My brother killed my clan. I'm going to kill him."

Naruto glanced at the boy, recognizing the glint of stubborn determination that he often had in his own eye when talking about his dream to become the Hokage. He grinned. It was smaller than usual, but he grinned.

"When I become Hokage, I'll make sure to send you on that mission."

Sasuke blinked before for a faint smile touched his lips. Not a smirk for once, an actual smile. "Well, that's a different way to tell me that my goal is impossible."

It took a minute for Naruto processed the barb. Sasuke used that time to pull ahead of him quickly.

"Hey! Sasuke! You teme!" Naruto shouted as he charged forward.

Sasuke dodged his initial attack with a smirk on his face but nearly fell for Naruto's swipe at his feet. Their impromptu sparing match went on until Kakashi appeared again and smacked them both on the back of the heads.

They continued walking for the rest of the day before settling down for the night on the edge of the Land of Fire. Naruto couldn't help but get excited over the boat ride they'd be taking the next day. He and Natsu spent some time after they had set up camp looking over the water in awe. Wave was very close and could be seen from the shore when the mist thinned enough, but it was still more water than Naruto had ever seen in one place before.

Once it go to dark to see much they returned to the campfire as Kakashi-sensei lecture them quietly on knowing their limits. Naruto wanted to scoff, but there was a serious glint in Kakashi-sensei. He looked older with the flickering flames casting shadows on his face. Naruto glanced away uncomfortably, eyeing the open field to the right of them with trepidation. They were just inside the tree line, but the trees themselves weren't anything like Naruto had seen before. They were much thinner and shorter than the great Konoha trees within the village. The tree were further apart too, with less bushes to obscure the sight line allowing him to see further than he ever had in the Konoha forest. The thin trees and open beach was making him feel uneasy.

Natsu bumped shoulders with him. Drawing him out of his thoughts.

Naruto sent his brother a smile.

"Come on, let's get some sleep." His brother murmured.

As he laid in the tent with his brother and Sasuke Naruto could help, but dwell on the attack earlier today. While he had privately wished for a more exciting mission than guarding some old drunk guy, he hadn't expected it to take the turn out the way it did. Kakashi-sensei was a jounin. A powerful shinobi with years of experience. Even working together, they couldn't lay a finger on him if he didn't want them too. They had tried and failed each time. He'd even beat them while reading that perverted book!

Even if his sensei was safe and alive, the attack today made him realize that even a jounin like their sensei could be killed.

He held his hand in front of his face, searching clumsily for the burning chakra he had felt earlier. He found it in its usual place around his stomach rather than coursing through his veins and he let out a sigh of relief. That chakra, _the demon's chakra_ , was scary and painful.

Natsu shifted restlessly beside him, his face scrunching up in his sleep.

Naruto wondered how his brother managed to deal with that chakra every day. The old man had told him that Natsu had to use the demon's chakra because he had none of his own, for some reason. The Hokage warned him that this might make Natsu more susceptible to the demons' influence and told him to keep a good eye on his brother to keep him safe, but Natsu never seemed to have any problems.

Naruto frown.

He was the only one struggling with control.

He clinched his fist tightly, feeling his nails bite into the calloused flesh of his palm. He ignored the pinpricks of pain and swore to himself not lose control to the demon again. He swore to fight the demon's chakra with everything he had in him.

He couldn't protect his brother if he was rabid with the demon's power, after all.

*

Sasuke didn't like the water.

Or at least, he didn't like being on a boat in the water.

He scowled at his choppy reflection wanting the boat ride to be over already. His stomach was churning and there was a headache building behind his eyes. He sighed silently and glanced over at the people he was sharing this tiny boat with. Natsuki sat beside him looking at his brother's antics with amusement in his eyes. Naruto, himself, was at the front of the boat alternating between looking around excitedly and dipping his fingers in the water. Kakashi was behind him with their client and the boat driver. None of the others looked as sick as he felt.

He looked back at Naruto as the memories from yesterday flickered across his mind.

At first, he had been almost blindly jealous that his two teammates had already completed an A-rank mission. Sasuke had felt the emotions build up the moment the words had left Naruto's mouth. He had nearly snarled his question and almost growled when they were ignored. How could his own classmates have already completed such a high ranking mission while he was stuck with still D-ranks and annoying training? Then the rage and jealousy were all gone in the next instance. At Naruto's next confession.

He hated how his mind always went to his brother when death was brought up in any given conversation.

It was happening more often lately with this team.

He blamed it on the fact that the two Uzumaki's were brothers.

He didn't like to think about how things were, but those two tended to force him to with their attitudes.

He turned his gaze to the water as he tried to ignore the memories.

He felt Natsu shift beside him and wondered if the other boy could feel his twisting emotions. He didn't like that thought. As much as he was grateful that he didn't get stuck with weak teammates (or worse fangirls) being on a team with the two Uzumaki's was frustrating in an entirely different way.

He always had to be on his toes when sparing Natsuki. The boy was as quick as a viper and hit surprisingly hard. The way he could whip out fire jutsus easily as if he was the Uchiha and not Sasuke, himself, annoyed Sasuke to no end. The one thing he could hold over the orange haired boy was his inability to do most other jutsus for some reason, especially water jutsus. However, that weakness seemed to be nonexistent in his brother, who drove Sasuke up the wall with his rate of learning. The boy had always been ok in school, but getting on a team with a sensei dedicated to training them seemed to make the boy shine. His taijutsu had slowly gotten less sloppy and Sasuke was having to work harder to beat him in their daily spars. Not only that but he soaked up jutsus like they were water and his stupid little traps got the better of Sasuke more often than he'd like to admit. Together they outmatched him in the amount of chakra they could throw around at any given moment, which led to Sasuke digging through dusty scrolls trying to find ways to boost his own reserves.

It was endlessly frustrating, but….even if he'd never admit it allowed, they made a decent team. They had managed to get the bells from their sensei and had even stopped the first enemy shinobi they came across outside the village. Natsuki still refused to look him in the eye and Naruto was too loud and friendly, but they challenged him and supported each other during missions.

"There it is." Tazuna-san murmured. "My villages only hope."

Sasuke glanced up towards where the old man gestured and blinked in surprised. Out of the mist, a giant bridge had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Whoa." He heard Naruto whisper. "It's huge."

Sasuke glanced at Natsuki but found the other boy eyeing the shore slowly coming into view suspiciously. He searched the fog, he could just make out the outline of houses and trees, but nothing that looks overtly suspicious. Natsuki must have sensed something.

He tensed and glanced at their sensei.

The man nodded calmly, having noticed Natsuki's attention as well.

"We'll likely meet more enemies when we reach the shore." Kakashi-sensei murmured. "Prepare yourselves."

"What?" The boat driver whispered frantically. "But, we tried so hard to avoid detection. We cut the engine and travel through the fog."

Their client scowled and muttered a curse under his breath. Kakashi-sensei just shook his head.

"Your enemy is Gatō, but our enemies are the shinobi he hired." He spoke solemnly. "Judging from the last pair, whoever else Gatō has hired are probably also from Kiri. Kiri shinobi know fog. They thrive in it. Rather than hide us, this fog puts us at a disadvantage."

He looked at them. "Remember my training and orders. Kirigakure, from what our intelligence tells us, had a small rebellion a little while ago. So, right now they have a bit more missing nin than the rest of the villages. Unfortunately, one of them is a real piece of work. If we encounter him during this mission I want the three of you to not engage. I'll handle him."

"Who is he?" Natsuki asked quietly, his eyes still on the shore as they crossed through a dimly lit tunnel.

"Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi replied. "The Demon of the Hidden Mist."

*

Sakura groaned as she tried to push herself up into the push-up position, but her arms gave out and she collapsed into the dirt. Beside her, both Hasegawa and Kenta were still struggling through the workout despite their arms shaking breath coming out ragged.

"Sakura-chan, why have you stopped?" Her sensei questioned as his sandaled feet came into view. "A genin should be able to do a hundred and fifty push-ups as part of a warm-up. This is a basic endurance exercise."

She let out a shuddering breath nearly gagging at the taste of dirt in her mouth.

"I'm sorry sensei…I…I can't do it."

She watched as Hasegawa grit his teeth and do another one, his whole body shaking. She felt shame well inside her, but she couldn't. She just couldn't do it.

She hated this.

"I see." He coughed. "Then why don't you do a hundred sit-ups."

She closed her eyes as she rolled onto her back. She hated that the most. Her sensei never shouted at them. He never even scolded them. He always responded calmly with an "I see" or "Okay" before moving on to a different subject whenever Sakura couldn't do something.

It felt like he was judging her.

She groaned quietly as she began the sit-ups.

Everything hurt.

They had been doing work-outs like these for a full week now. She had never work-out like this even through-out the academy. She had put most of her attention on grades in the academic area rather than the physical aspects of being a shinobi. They had been given a training regimen to do every day at home and they always did warm-up before throwing and sparing, but nothing as intense as this. She was regretting skipping the training regimen as much as she did during the academy.

She made it through twenty before collapsing again.

"Just push through it," Hasegawa muttered.

"I can't." She replied between harsh breathes.

"That's enough." Their sensei cut in smoothly.

"Ok, break. Hasegawa-kun and Kenta-kun grab your water bottles and start stretching. Sakura-chan grab your water bottle and follow me."

"Yeeeesss," Hasegawa exclaimed as he collapsed gleefully in the dirt.

"Thank Kami." Kenta murmured.

Sakura didn't say anything. Her gut was twisting as she pulled herself to her feet slowly and trudged over to her pack for her water bottle. Already her mind was flickering through all of the different horrible things her sensei might say to her. She knew she was the weak link on the team. She couldn't do half of the physical things the other boys could. She failed at the exercises and failed at sparing. She stared at the flowery water bottle in despair.

Was he going to kick her off the team?

"Hey, it'll be fine."

She jumped at her teammate's voice. Kenta grinned at her tiredly as he dug through his backpack for his own water. Hasegawa shove her shoulder when he crawled passed her dramatically.

"He probably just wants to give you more training 'cause you suck."

"Chou!" Kenta exclaimed. "Don't be mean."

The blond just threw his water bottle at him.

Sakura giggled softly and shook her head. She stood slowly and made her way over to her sensei, who had been waiting patiently. He nodded to her and led her across the training field and out of earshot of her teammates. He sat down and patted the dirt beside him for her.

She hesitated briefly glancing at her teammates. Kenta gave her a thumbs up while Hasegawa just flipped her off. She scowled at him and sat down.

"You know, as morbid as it may sound I've noticed that training future shinobi seems to work best during war or conflict. Do you know why, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura paused, not expecting this type of conversation. "Um, well, because they training to go to war?"

"That's part of it." He coughed. "I think the main reason is motive, though."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was in the academy everyone in the room with me knew exactly what we were getting into. We were there to protect our village from our enemies or die trying." He stared up at the sky for a moment, before turning to her. "Sakura-chan, why did you want to become a shinobi?"

"I…" She looked down at her hands. It had been a long time since she had been asked that question.

Why did she join the academy?

She knew her parents weren't all that approving of it. Her father had continuously mentioned different jobs he thought were appropriate for young ladies through-out her academy years and her mother fretted and tutted whenever she came home with bruises and scrapes.

"I don't know." She murmured. She knew that she had stayed for Sasuke-kun, but she couldn't remember why she joined in the first place.

"You might want to think about it, Sakura-chan." Gekkō-sensei murmured. "Do you know why Hasegawa-kun and Kenta-kun are genin?"

She glanced at her teammates. They were going through the stretches their sensei had taught them their first day of training. Hasegawa was obviously ranting over something, while Kenta was nodding sympathetically like her usually did when he wasn't really listening to his shorter friend.

"Because they trained hard and know why they want to be shinobi." She guessed.

"No." Gekkō-sensei coughed. "It's because of you, Sakura-chan."

Her head snapped towards her sensei as she processed those words.

"What?"

"There was a different number of graduates this year than normal." He shrugged. "The Hokage tried to organize the teams, but there was at least one person left without a full team. So, in order to fill out the teams, the academy graduated two of the students who wouldn't normally make the cut in order to create a full team. Your team."

"They passed just because I needed a team?" Sakura couldn't help but repeat.

Gekkō-sensei chuckled at her incredulous look.

"That happens sometimes when there are odd numbers of students in academy. Some kids don't pass the test even if they technically passed it while others pass it even if they failed. There's a lot of political maneuvering involved. In your case, since the class was full of clan heirs the teams were pretty much already decided before you guys took the test. Since you passed with the highest written score in class, good scores on the chakra control and decent scores in the physical portion of the exam they couldn't justify failing you, so they passed those two even though neither did very well overall."

"That isn't fair!"

He laughed. "Perhaps not but things rarely are, especially in a shinobi village. In any case, you guys are a team now."

Sakura frowned as she looked back over at her teammates. Hasegawa was doing a full split that made Sakura wince at the other boy's flexibility and looked like he was trying to goad Kenta into doing it as well, but the other boy was having none of it and kept shaking his head as he continued stretching.

"How did I pass when I'm not as good as them?"

"All we've been doing so far is strength and endurance training. You'll most likely be better at them when we move onto chakra control and other things."

Sakura scowled. "So, I'm just not as strong as them?"

"Right now? Yes." He replied easily, making her even more annoyed. "But, it doesn't have to stay that way Sakura-chan."

She glanced up at him when he patted her head awkwardly.

"Find your reason to be a shinobi Sakura-chan. It doesn't have to be fancy or creative. It can be very simple. You just have to believe in it completely. It should be something worth fighting for." He coughed roughly, before continuing. "Being a shinobi is a harsh life, Sakura-chan. It involves pain, death and greif. There will be times when you will have to push passed all of that to continue forward, to continue fighting even when you are exhausted. If you are going to continue being my student I want to make sure you understand and accept that."

She looked down at her hands.

Her nails, that she had spent so much time perfecting in the academy, were chipped and broken. Her knuckles were bruised and her palms scraped.

A part of her wanted to quit. She didn't get to be on Sasuke-kun's team and training was really hard. She went home in pain and woke up very sore every morning. Maybe she should just go work at a nice shop like her dad wanted or finish civilian school like her mom wanted. It would be a lot easier and less painful.

But…

She glanced up at Hasegawa and Kenta who were now roughhousing. Or more accurately, Hasegawa was swinging wildly Kenta, who was holding him back fairly easily with one arm. They were her teammates now. She had spent a full week suffering through training with them. Their hands were probably just as scraped and bruised as her own, probably even more so because they had been throwing their all into training.

"Yes, sensei." She said quietly.

*

They reach the docks with little trouble. Their client talked quietly with the boat driver, thanking him professing for risking himself as they rest of them remained on alert eying the houses and tree line for any movement. Sasuke kept one hand on his weapons pouch as he ran through the jutsus he knew. Once the boat driver had left they continued onward to Tazuna-san's house further in the woods.

Sasuke eyed the forest around them with a critical eye as they walked. The smaller tree allowed them to see further than they normally could in the Konoha forests, but there was still some lingering fog that put him on edge after Kakashi's comment on the boat.

Natsuki was on point in front of the client, while Sasuke and Naruto were on either side and Kakashi-sensei brought up the rear.

Natsuki kept tilting his head and looking around as if he was trying to pinpoint a noise that no one else could hear. He very well might be for all Sasuke knew. He didn't really understand how the whole chakra or emotion sensing went.

Suddenly, about ten minutes into their march Natsuki froze his eyes darting to the trees to their left before he snapped his head to the right. Sasuke gripped his kunai tightly from within his weapons pack.

"Sensei." Natsuki barely managed to get the word out, before he suddenly shouted in tandem with Kakashi-sensei. "Get Down!"

Sasuke dove to the ground while gripping Tazuna-san's sleeve to pull him with him out of danger. He felt the whoosh of displaced air as something huge went over them. He pull himself into a crouch shifting in front of their client as her turned to see the huge sword now imbedded in a nearby tree and the shinobi on top of that sword.

He swallowed heavily as he tried to figure out how deeply impeded the sword must be to be able to be able to hold a grown man and how strong the man on top of it must be for throwing it that hard.

"Zabuza Momochi." Kakashi-sensei looked unfazed as he stood in front of them calmly with a hand still in his pocket.

Sasuke glanced at his teammates as he slowly stood up. Naruto was on the other side of their still crouching client, while Natsuki had moved closer to his left side. All of them eyed the man still turned away from them waiting for his next move.

Sasuke saw Kakashi-sensei's hand slowly move to his head band and was shocked when the man actually started to pull up for the first time since he had met the man.

"Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan." Zabuza murmured just loud enough for them to hear.

Sasuke frowned in confusion at the mention of his clans prized Kekkai Genkai. The missing-nin turned to look at them over his shoulder, his dark eyes sent an unwilling shiver down his spine.

"Just hand over the old man. He's all that I'm here for."

"Sorry, my cute little kiddies decided to complete this mission, so it looks like we can't do that," Kakashi-sensei replied. Sasuke couldn't prevent his annoyance at the man's use of that stupid nickname for them despite the situation, but he straightened when their sensei addressed them. "Guard our client and stay out of this battle."

"Yes, sensei." They replied in unison, though Sasuke noticed Natsuki sounded a bit hesitate.

He glanced at the boy, noting how pale he was as he watched their sensei slowly remove his headband from coving his left eye. Remembering what Zabuza said, Sasuke turned his eyes toward the newly revealed eye. He felt the breath leave him when the man finally opened his eye, revealing a familiar black dotted red eye. He barely noticed Natsuki flinch and take a step back beside him even when he accidently brushed his shoulder.

"You know we had a standing order back in Kiri to kill you on sight, Hatake. I always wanted a piece of you. The man who copied over a thousand jutsus." Zabuza chuckled. "A mighty opponent indeed. I'm glad I finally get the chance to test my strength on you. Give me a good fight, Hatake and maybe I'll let your brats live."

As he spoke mist slowly started to infuse the area. Sasuke tried to pull his eyes away from his sensei and focus on his surroundings, but he found it difficult after seeing his clan's jutsu in the eye of someone obviously not of his clan. Every cell in him rejected the idea. He had grown up with horrifying tales of enemy shinobi trying to steal their clan's eyes. Those stories stuck with him even today.

He was jerked out of his thoughts by the missing-nin jumping onto the lake just off of the path they had been following. He wondered if they should take their client and make a break towards his house while Kakashi-sensei fought, but he wasn't sure if there would be more powerful enemies waiting in the mist.

He glanced at his teammates. Naruto was in a defense position with a kunai out to the right of the client. Sasuke moved to the front of the old man and glanced at Natsuki, only to find the other boy looking silently at their sensei with a strangely blank look on his face. His eyes…

Sasuke had noticed that the boys eye's tended to change color based on his mood, but he had never seem the boys eyes as red before. He froze for a moment watching as the boys thin pupil's contract and dilate for a moment like a cat's or a...

He tore his eyes away feeling unsettled.

Those eyes didn't seem human.

He shook himself to attention as the mist suddenly got a lot heavier. His eyes widened when he realized that Zabuza had vanished into the mist.

"Stay alert." Kakashi murmured.

A flood of killing intent washed over the area and Sasuke flinch, but stood his ground even though his hand shook. A thought crossed his mind and he turned to Natsuki once more, only to find the boy on his knees clutching his head just like that day Kakashi-sensei had used killing intent to test him. He forced himself to take a step towards the boy, but a chuckle made him freeze as the cold touch of a blade brushed passed him.

He looked behind over his shoulder in horror as Zabuza seemed to appear out of nowhere behind them. Now he was between them and their opponent.

"The reactions of little genin to their first taste of killing intent is always amusing." The man chuckled. "What do you say Hatake? How about I get rid of the weak link here."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the blade get closer to the still knelling Natsuki.

"No!" Naruto shouted, throwing his kunai at the man's face.

Kakashi swooped in with his own kunai in hand stabbing the man in the gut. Only for it to turn out to be a water clone. Zabuza appeared again from nowhere slashing at Kakashi who also exploded into a splash of water.

Sasuke watched in awe as his sensei maneuvered behind the missing nin with a kunai at his throat.

"You will not harm my students." He spoke calmly, but his eyes were steel.

"Huh, it looks like you got me." The man shrugged despite the blade at his neck.

Then he exploded into water as another appeared behind their sensei once more sending him flying with a sharp kick. Kakashi threw a volley of kunai at the man as he flew back and flipped skillfully into the water of the lake.

Zabuza rushed after him dodging the kunai with ease. Kakashi popped out of the water…or at least tried too. Sasuke saw him struggle for a brief second before Zabuza was on him with foreign hand signs. Suddenly their sensei was encased in a sphere of water. Sasuke took a step back making sure he was still in front of their client and glanced down at his two teammates. Naruto was now next to Natsuki who hand managed to lift his head, but was looking worse for wear.

_Stupid. Stupid._

He knew about Natsuki's issue with killing intent. He knew it would be an issue in battle and the boy was working with their sensei on it. He should have known he would freeze up during a critical battle and should have been prepared to cover him.

He gripped his kunai tightly as he watched Zabuza make another water clone.

Naruto jumped in front of his brother with wide eyes, but a steady grip on his blade.

"Little upstarts like you are a joke to all shinobi." The clone kick Naruto aside with ease knocking the boy's headband from his head and stomping on it to make a point. "You don't know what real shinobi life is. You're just pathetic brats."

"Run!" Kakashi shouted, his voice distorted but still hearable. "He can't send his clone too far away from him right now! Get our client out of here and run!"

"You won't be able to get away." The clone chuckled as he approached Natsuki. "I'll do you a favor and end your pathetic life before you realize what it means to be a shinobi."

Natsuki continued to knell his eyes wide and dilated.

Sasuke moved before his mind could process what he was doing. "Dammit, move you, stupid orange haired idiot! A little killing intent won't kill you, but this guy will!"

He shoved the boy out of the way and released the jutsu his hands had flown threw the signs for.

" _Great Fireball Jutsu!_ "

That seemed to kick both his teammates into action as the clone leaped away from the attack even though it was at point blank range.

His teammates both leaped to their feet and flanked him with weapons out.

"I told you to run!" Their sensei shouted, looking more panicked than Sasuke had thought was possible for the sarcastic man.

"No way!" Naruto snapped. "You're the one who told us never to leave a teammate behind 'cause that's scummy!"

"I'm fairly certain you just butchered his phrase," Natsuki muttered as his eyes flickered around the area restlessly still looking rather pale and strained.

"Shut-up!"

Some of the tension left his shoulders at the return of the twin's usual banter.

"Cute." The clone words were dripping with sarcasm. "But, cuteness won't stop me from slaughtering you."

"We need a plan." Sasuke murmured under his breath.

"No kidding," Naruto muttered back. "And I want my headband back."

"We can do something similar to what we did at the bell test." Natsuki murmured.

"We couldn't even manage to lay a hand on Kakashi-sensei then." Sasuke scowled. "What makes you think we could defeat him?"

"Our goal isn't to defeat him." Natsuki glanced behind the clone to where their sensei was still being held captive.

"I get it." Naruto nodded with a grin. "If we free Kakashi-sensei, then Kakashi-sensei can defeat this crazy guy."

"Are you kids done?" The clone mocked. He hadn't moved at all during their conversation. The obvious dismissal of them as any sort of threat made Sasuke's heckles rise.

"Wait. I have an idea."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, noting the wicked grin on his face.

"Trust me, ok?"

Sasuke glanced at Natsuki who looked slightly exasperated but nodded anyway before nodding himself. He didn't think he could defeat the man on his own, so he really had no choice but to trust his wayward and endlessly annoying teammates.

"Alright! Let's kick this guy's butt!" Naruto cracked his knuckles and tried to look as confident as possible, but Sasuke could still see his hands shaking slightly when he move them into a now familiar hand sign.

They were suddenly surrounded by Naruto's clones. Natsuki disappeared into the crowd with a barely visible ripple as an illusion slipped over him. Sasuke didn't flinch as a Naruto clone slipped a couple of fūma shuriken into his hand while the rest charge past him in a loud heckling frenzy of blond haired idiots.

He noticed the difference immediately and smirked. So, that was his idea.

The clone threw all of the Naruto clones off of him with a wide sweep of his giant sword, but missed the smaller Uzumaki twin, coming under his guard till it was too late and he had a kunai in his gut.

As the clone exploded into water Sasuke threw the two fūma shuriken, straight towards the real Zabuza.

He grabbed the first one like expected and leaped over the second.

Sasuke smirked and released a volley of shuriken with Natsuki as Naruto threw his kunai from behind after releasing his disguise as the second fūma shuriken.

Face with weapons from both sides, Zabuza has no choice but to release Kakashi and jump away.

Sasuke's joy at the victory was cut short when the man appeared before Naruto with rage in his face and fūma shuriken in hand. Kakashi-sensei, however, recovered just in time to stop the blade.

"Naruto," Kakashi-sensei ordered. "Get back to shore."

With wide eyes and a frantic nodded the blond scurried over the water and back to them on the shore. The three of them returned to their position in front of their client as the two more powerful shinobi started squaring up to one another once more. Another wave of killing intent washed over the area making Sasuke shiver. He felt Natsuki shaking like a leaf beside him, but the other boy remained upright with his eyes fixed on the two shinobi.

His eyes were that eerie red again as they seemed to fix on Kakashi-sensei's sharingan.

Sasuke shivered for an entirely different reason this time.

There was something off about the twins.

He forced himself to look away from the other boy's eyes and focus on the battle himself as he tried to push the millions of questions to the back of his mind. Instead of dwelling on them, he watched his clans Kekkei Genkai in action for the first time in many years.

" _Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu._ "

The resulting wave from the huge water dragons nearly sent them flying, but the three of them managed to hold their ground even if their client got knocked over. The old man muttered curses under his breath as he pull himself back to his feet with Naruto's help.

Sasuke, himself, now couldn't take his eyes off of the dueling water dragons. He couldn't wait until he managed to activate his own sharingan. It was an amazing sight to see his sensei copy the missing nin's exact movements at the exact same time as if he could read the other man's mind.

From the tales of his former clan members he knew that the masters of the Sharingan might as well be reading minds.

_(Like his brother. The traitor.)_

He winced at the thought before having to steady his stance again as his sensei released another powerful water jutsu that send Zabuza flying away in the flood of water the jutsu created.

The water cleared and they all watched in shock as a new shinobi struck down Zabuza right when Kakashi was about to finish him off.

"A tracker shinobi from Kiri?" Kakashi-sensei questioned.

Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off of the dead Zabuza. The man's eyes were wide and now blank in death. He held back a shiver and repressed his memories in order to follow the conversation with the new shinobi.

"Yes, you're well informed. It was my duty to stop Zabuza. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to finish my mission."

Sasuke frowned as he looked over the shinobi. He didn't sound much older than himself and his teammates.

"We spent so much effort to take him down and this guy just takes him out, just like that." Naruto muttered quietly.

Sasuke shook his head in agreement, while Natsuki sighed.

The shinobi jumped down to Zabuza's body and pulled it up onto his smaller shoulders. "I must dispose of the body. Thank you again for aiding my mission."

The two disappeared in a swirl of leafs.

"Well, I supposed that's over." Kakashi-sensei shook his head. "In any case, we need to get our bridge builder back to his house."

Their client laughed nervously. "Trust me, I am forever grateful for you guys sticking around. Please, stay and rest at my house. It's really not far from here."

"I could use a bed." Naruto grinned.

"Alright, lets-" Kakashi started before stopping suddenly.

Sasuke tensed wary of another shinobi appearing, but their sensei just swayed slightly before collapsing.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

*

Kurama sat quietly beside his unconscious sensei. They had reach the bridge builders house easily enough despite dragging their sensei's unconscious body. Night had fallen and his brother and the Uchiha were asleep in the other room.

But, Kurama couldn't sleep.

Kurama had grown fond of a select number of humans during his time as one himself. His brother, of course, was someone he had grown to care about a great deal. In fact, he would most likely label him his most important person.

If someone would have told him that he'd grow to care for some humans before he was taken captive by Konoha or even during his captivity he would have killed them for their insolence. Yet, despite his initial horror over interacting with other humans, he had grown fond of several of them. The Hokage, as wily and secretive as he was still held a place in Kurama's new human heart, along with Iruka and his classmates Shikamaru and Choji. However, the human he was closest to beside his brother was, in fact, the same Anbu that had continuously visited him throughout childhood and had helped him through the worst of his nightmares. That human turned out to be Kakashi, who later became Kakashi-sensei to him.

Before today, Kurama would have easily said that he trusted the man.

He was the only one, besides Naruto, that he had considered telling the absolute truth about who he was and his situation.

Now…

He had been so shocked when Kakashi revealed his eye he could barely think and the killing intent only muddled his mind further.

_(He had been minding his own business up in the mountains he had called home for a few decades. Dusk had just fallen and he was looking fondly up at the full silver moon and the twinkling stars above him. He had felt the man approach. He had felt his tormented chakra twisting and churning inside of him. He ignored him for a time, before turning his attention to the tiny human bellow him silently waiting for acknowledgment. That was his mistake. The man had no time for small talk. Those eyes. Those horrible red eyes trapped him. He could only watch in horror as he was used as a common weapon against the man's opponent.)_

He brought his knees to his chest and pressed his head down on them.

He didn't want to remember that.

He hated to remember the loss of control.

The fear and horror of watching as his body moved on its own.

He lifted his head and glared at the unconscious man in front of him. Every time he looked at him he felt an irrational feeling of betrayal course through him, tangled with age-old rage at the remembrance of what those eyes did to him.

_Why did he have to have one of those damn eyes?_

He hated those eyes.

_I trusted you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fight was a little by the numbers, but there was only a little wiggle room to work with. Next one is different, I promise.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Battle of the bridge and someone loses his cool.

The woman who opened the door took one look at their bedraggled faces and the limp body of their sensei draped over the shoulder of their client and ushered them into the house silently.

"Father, I hope you have a good explanation for this," Was the only thing she spoke before helping their client haul their sensei up the stairs and into a bedroom.

He stood with his teammates as the woman pulled out a futon and helped lay their sensei down. Naruto was fidgeting to his right, glancing between their sensei and his brother. Natsuki, on the other hand, was staring at his feet, hair covering his eyes. Sasuke had caught a glimpse of those eyes during the long walk to the house and was glad he couldn't see them now.

There was something dangerous in those red eyes.

Something that sent shivers down his spine.

The boy had been silent during the duration of their walk, despite his brother's best efforts to try and get him to talk. Sasuke didn't bother. The Natsuki who had helped them release Kakashi-sensei was gone now, and his place was a darker version. The same version that had surfaced when Kakashi-sensei revealed his Sharingan eye.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head when the woman turned to nag them about any injuries once she had their sensei's bandaged and tucked into bed.

"We're ok." Naruto answer for them, uncharacteristically subdued. "Is sensei going to be ok?"

The woman eyed them sadly. "I took care of the surface wounds, but there's probably more to it if he passed out like that. I'm not a medic, much less a shinobi medic, so I honestly can't tell you. All I can say is that he's breathing and his wounds are bandaged."

"It's chakra exhaustion," Natsuki spoke softly. "The Sharingan takes a lot of chakra to manage and he was throwing around high-level jutsus left and right on top of that."

No one asked how Natsuki would know that. The two civilians didn't know enough to even consider that question and Naruto just looked happy that his brother was talking again. But Sasuke wanted to know how suddenly his sensei and one of his teammates seemed to know more about the Sharingan than Sasuke himself.

He didn't ask though.

The boy's eyes were still a bloody shade of red.

_(He ignored the flashes of memories. The dark room. The two bodies on the floor. Then those red eyes swirling with black tomoes.)_

They were ushered downstairs for a quick meal before they were given another room where three more futons were supplied for them to sleep. However, Sasuke didn't fall asleep for hours after they settled down.

His mind was filled with red eyes.

The next morning, the three of them ate breakfast and sat with their sensei.

He shifted and wondered when their sensei would awaken and if their silent vigil was even worth it if their sensei wasn't going to wake up for days. Naruto was fidgeting with his bag, hands running over what looked like an unnecessary amount of supplies for traps. Natsuki was by the window, staring silently into space. Sasuke watched him for a few minutes. Noting how the sun seemed to set his hair on fire. He couldn't help but notice that while Natsuki's eyes had returned to his normal shade of dark purple, he still wasn't acting like his normal self.

There was a stiffness in the other boy's movements and he kept shifting his eyes to their sensei with an odd expression on his face. It was a tangled mix of emotions that Sasuke couldn't unravel. It was likely that Natsuki himself couldn't unravel them, considering his obvious unsettlement.

Natsuki had put on a decent façade for their client and his daughter this morning. Smiling kindly and thanking the woman for breakfast and taking them in last night. Once they left the room, however, his façade dropped and he had been brooding by the window ever since.

He shook his head and turned his attention back to their sensei. He supposed this would have been the perfect time to pull down the man's mask to see his face, but no one had brought it up nor made any move towards doing so. Sasuke, himself, didn't feel all that inclined despite his curiosity. The man had hid a Sharingan under his headband, who knows what he hid under his mask.

He sighed, as that thought brought him back to the subject he'd been avoiding thinking about.

His sensei had a Sharingan. The symbol of his clan. The doujutsu that only one person should have. The one person that wipe out his clan.

He clenched his fists in his lap.

His eyes darted to Natsuki when the boy shifted for the first time in hours, guarded eyes on their sensei.

"He's waking up."

Their sensei stirred visibly after a second and opened his eye slowly, wincing at the light.

"Sensei, sensei!" Naruto shouted worriedly. "Are you alright?!"

His shout brought their client and his daughter into the room. Their sensei waved the boy off as he tried to sit up, but winced and laid back down. "I'll be fine, Naruto. Just a bit of chakra exhaustion. Unfortunately, that leaves us open for assault from Zabuza and his men."

Things predictably descended into chaos from there.

"What? I thought that weird hunter-nin, person got him?" Tazuna-san shouted angerly.

Sasuke watched silently, feeling faintly perturbed over the information. He had been so relieved that the battle was done, he hadn't even considered the possibility of trickery by the hunter-nin.

"In any cause, I image it'll take a little while before Zabuza is able to come after us again. Which will give us time."

Sasuke almost rolled his eyes at the obvious ploy for drama.

"Time for what, sensei?" Of course, Naruto never failed to take their sensei's prompting.

The man's eye crinkled.

"Training!"

After some muttered complaining from the woman of the house, they had procured a crutch for their sensei and followed the man as he limped worryingly unsteadily towards the woods behind the house. Naruto hovered by his right side, while Sasuke walked to his left, with Natsuki trailing behind with a pensive look on his face.

"Now I can't really teach you any new jutsus for a few days at least since my chakra is quite thoroughly depleted, but we can work on the physical stuff. Zabuza's not going to hold back, so I'll teach you guys some of my more dirty tricks to take down large opponents. I'd give Zabuza about a week to recover. He's undoubtedly in just as bad shape as me if not worse due to those needles his little assistant pegged him with."

He turned to them. "Honestly, there isn't much we can do but train. There's no way you're going to miraculously pull some new power out of your ass in the next five to seven days, so we'll just work on what you already know and try to figure out a plan of attack for when Zabuza come back."

"Yes, sensei." They chorused dutifully.

Sasuke blocked a punch but had to step back to avoid the following kick. He dodged again as the kick arced, aiming for his head.

Sparing Natsuki had become a calming practice. Though, perhaps calming wasn't the correct word to use. After all, Sasuke had to stay on his toes and keep his mind focused on the boys every movement. Unlike Naruto, who often accidently signaled his next moves with his eyes, Natsuki gave nothing away until he was already moving. Sasuke could only react and react fast. He had only gotten to spar him every once in a while, because Iruka-sensei liked to vary their partners, but he remembered feeling frustrated. However, once they became teammates and spared each other nearly every day, the frustration slowly went away as he began to learn the other's style.

He slid to the side, evading several more sharp kicks. They circled each other panting. Sasuke watched his opponent with narrow eyes. With a swing of his braid, the boy was on him again with a kick to his diaphragm then another to his face. Sasuke blocked both, but Natsuki used his momentum to fling himself in the air fingers ghosting over Sasuke's shoulder for balance as he fliped over him to strike at his unprotected back. Their sensei had taught them that yesterday and Natsuki had apparently taken a liking to it.

Maybe predictable would be a better word. However, even that wasn't quite right, since Natsuki was definitely not predictable. Sasuke may have learned to recognize his movements better, but he was no less able to predict them than he could in the academy. Natsuki was like a snake. Sasuke could recognize the coil that signaled an attack was about to occur, but he couldn't always predict where the bite would occur nor could he always move in time to counter.

Perhaps, consistent or dependable would be the best word to describe their spars. The spars were challenging forcing Sasuke to think and react. They never got stale or lost his interest and never failed to make him see the holes in his own defenses and the faults in his attacks.

He took the kick to the back and used its force to send his flying away from the follow-up attack. He spun on his heel and charge planning a kick and punch combination he had been working on in his individual practice.

Sharp purple eyes watched his movements silently dodging the kick easily. Sasuke knew before he even threw the punch that it wouldn't land. He threw it anyway, already planning a different combination of kicks to follow up the failed attack.

Purple eyes shifted to the side and widened briefly.

His fist connected.

Sasuke watched silently as Natsuki was thrown onto his back gasping for breath.

He looked to the side where their sensei was watching silently, leaning heavily on his crutch. This was the fifth time in the three days they had been training. He clenched his fists tightly until he felt his nails dig into his flesh.

Perhaps dependable wouldn't be the best word either.

He turned on his heel and marched away. Naruto was guarding the bridge builder today. He'd switch with him, instead of continuing with the frustration that was sparing a distracted and distant Natsuki. As soon as he was out of sight he leaped into the trees and ran all the way to the bridge, not caring who saw him. By now, the villagers were starting to get used to them after seeing them hanging around for the last three days.

Naruto looked like he wanted to put up a fight when Sasuke got there but dropped everything once Sasuke told him tersely that his brother had lost another spar with him. Naruto's grin faltered briefly before the boy cheerfully announced that he was going to go check on his brother. Sasuke watched as he waved goodbye to the workers and jogged away.

Sasuke scowled and folded his arms over his chest, preparing himself for a boring rest of the day.

It was frustrating.

He watched as Natsuki smiled tiredly at whatever the woman said. It was fake, though the woman obviously could tell. Sasuke knew he wasn't the best with people, but he had spent enough time with the twins to know their personalities and to know that this was out of character for the orange haired Uzumaki. Naruto was loud and obnoxious. He smiled and laughed and for a long time Sasuke thought that he was a complete and utter idiot. But he had learned that there was intelligence in boy, just as bright and blinding as his personality when he put his mind to something. The blond got angry easily, but snapped out of it just as quickly.

Natsuki, on the other hand, was different even to the point of being nearly the complete opposite of his twin. Despite being the younger of the two, as Naruto never failed to let everyone know, the boy acting years older than their classmates. His smiles were smaller and his voice softer. He had a dry sense of humor and a sharp tongue. He was intelligent too. Sasuke always had to fight for his place at the top of the academy. Though he'd never admit it, he was sure that Natsuki would have kept first if he was able to perform the weak jutsus required at that level.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, shoving another portion of food in his mouth. His chopsticks creaked dangerously.

"You'll never win! Gatō will just kill you all!"

He set his chopsticks down with a loud clack.

"We are trained shinobi, not some civilians who can barely throw a punch." He glared at the young boy. "Shut-up and let us do our job."

The boy's eyes filled with tears and he ran out without another word. Sasuke went back to eating, listening only with half an ear to the explanation their client gave them about the boy's adoptive father. He really didn't care. Even after losing his whole clan, he wasn't nearly as pathetic and whiny as that child.

Natsuki excused himself from the table and quietly went upstairs, presumably to bed. Sasuke watched as he skirted around their sensei putting an obvious distance between them. He watched as Naruto's smile dimmed and he tried to continue chatting, but gave up after a few minutes and stared pensively at his food.

This was so frustrating.

They sparred again the next and the day after that with the same results.

He struck the ground cracking the earth and sending up dirt around him. He watched as Natsuki slide to the side before shifting back into a less defensible stance when he caught sight of how close their sensei was to him. Sasuke struck out with a three sharp kick to the head before trying to drive a fist into his stomach.

_Frustrating._

He hadn't realized how content he had been after joining this team. It had been refreshing to have consistently good sparring partners. They each had a different style of fighting that challenged him. Though Natsuki had always seemed fifteen steps ahead in chakra control, Sasuke could still fight to complete jutsus before Naruto did. He could complain freely with the two as they completed menial tasks for the D-rank missions and was taken back by how satisfying it was to collapse next to the two, exhausted after a full day of training. He had always thought that he'd work through the system alone until he could finally go after his...that man. He had thought that whatever team he would be on would simply be a sham, a stepping stone so that he could gain more power.

_So._

He lashed out feinting a punch to the head while driving a reverse punch into Natsuki's stomach. Natsuki caught it and flipped himself over his head, but Sasuke was prepared with a kick.

_Very._

Natsuki's haired flashed in the light as he shifted to the left, avoiding the kick by a hairs breath. Sasuke tried to meet his gaze in the midst of battle in order to see if he could catch him off guard.

Eyes shifted.

Hands hesitated.

Sasuke saw red.

_Frustrating!_

_"Why did I bother caring for someone who won't even look me in the eye?!"_

*

Naruto took an uncertain step forward as his teammate tackled his brother to the ground. He wasn't sure what exactly happened. One minute the two of them were sparring like normal, then Sasuke was snapping at Natsu and suddenly they were both on the ground cursing and rolling around as each of them tried to pound the other's face into the dirt.

A hand descended on his shoulder and he looked up with wide eyes at his sensei. The man just shook his head.

"Let them fight it out Naruto. They need to let some steam off and work things out between them." The man chuckled darkly. "I was actually hoping one of them would snap before we had to fight again. Trust me, this is better than them blowing up at one another during a battle."

Naruto looked back at his teammates. Sasuke was on top of his brother trying to punch him in the face, while Natsu looked like he was gnawing on the boy's arm. He had never seen his brother so…immature. Maybe feral would be a better word. It was usually his job to get angry and pick fights. His brother had always had a certain air of dignity and maturity to him that made him seem more like the older brother than Naruto. In fact, it was like Natsu was taking care of him half the time.

Now, however, he looked more like the twelve-year-old he was.

Naruto shook his head feeling a little amused even though he was still worried about his brother.

Kakashi-sensei squeezed his shoulder. Naruto glanced back at him.

"Come on," Kakashi said quietly. "Let's leave them to it. I want to go check out the bridge, it's likely we'll be fighting there to defend the bridge builder and I want to see what we can use for an advantage. Why don't you tell me what you brought for traps?"

Naruto glanced back one more time at his two teammates before jogging after his sensei as the man started to walk back to Tazuna-san's house. He'd trust his sensei's judgment. Nothing else had worked over the last week, so maybe this would.

"Sure sensei!"

As they walked Naruto told the man just how much stuff he had managed to fit into his pack for this mission.

"I got two reels of ninja wire, a handful of dumb bombs, several sets of shuriken, a bunch of sticky bombs. Those are really cool. I splurged with those ones, they explode with this gooey stuff that stinks and makes it difficult to move. It's like stinky super glue! I love it! I also got a bunch of tacks. They're really sharp, I accidently dropped a few after I got them and accidently stepped on them. It really hurt!" Naruto eyed his sensei as he chatter, looking for any sign of exhaustion. Today was the first day the man had used his chakra again to create a shadow clone of his own to send over to watch over the bridge builder. Naruto was a little worried he was pushing himself too soon.

It was really scary when the man collapsed. He had been looking better as the days passed, but Naruto still couldn't help but worry. The man noticed his looks and his only visible eyes crinkled in what Naruto had come to know as his smile.

"Don't worry Naruto. I'm feeling much better now that I've rested up." Kakashi-sensei ruffled his hair. "Now it sounds like you have quite the arsenal for setting up some interesting traps. Why don't we go grab your pack and then head over to the bridge?"

"Ok, sensei!"

Naruto chatted about anything and everything during the walk to the bridge. Although the man didn't reply aside from an occasional hum, his sensei didn't seem to mind so he continued with the chatter all the way to the bridge.

His sensei dispersed his clone while Naruto waved excitedly at the builders who grinned and wave back. While he was on watch duty he had chatted up most of the builders despite Tazuna-san's loud complaints about him distracting his men and now knew most of them by name.

The man himself wandered over when he noticed them. "What's with the big bag?"

"I figured that we'd set a trap today," Kakashi-sensei replied easily. "You lot can carry on and ignore us."

Tazuna-san scowled faintly at his sensei. "Right, don't mess up our hard work."

Naruto watched silently as the man left to go direct his men before turning to his sensei. "So, what did you want to do for traps, sensei?"

"I'd had a couple of ideas involving some seals that we could rig with your traps. I had planned on introducing Fūinjutsu to you after you became a chunin. Seals are rather dangerous, after all, but I might as well start you know considering the situation. I'll show you how they're made as I create some for the traps. Luckily, I brought extra seal tags, so you can even practice a little."

The man reached into the pouch at his hip and pulled out a small scroll. He unrolled it and crouched on the ground as his hands flash in a quick hand sign. Suddenly the scroll exploded into a puff of smoke. Naruto blinked in surprised when the smoke cleared and there was suddenly a pile of supplies in the scrolls place.

"That's a storage seal," Kakashi spoke as he sorted through the supplies. "It's a common sealing technique used to store a number of things. All jounin and chunin know how to use them, though like the exploding tags few know how to make them themselves."

Naruto's eyes widened as he took in his sensei's words. He had thought trapping was cool when his sensei brought it up and started teaching him, but this was even cooler! He looked over the supplies his sensei was sorting with awe. There were two inkwells, three traditional brushes, and two thick stacks of blank rectangular tags. Naruto tried to stay still, but his fingers were twitching with ideas for different pranks and traps he could pull off with a storage scroll or explosive tags. He wondered if the seals could be modified. Could he create a flash seal, instead of an explosive one? Or maybe regulate what type of explosion he wanted?

There were so many possibilities!

His sensei chuckled. "Fūinjutsu isn't actually my forte despite my sensei's best efforts, but I know the basics."

"Your sensei?" Naruto finally looked up from the supplies.

It was kind of weird to think of his sensei having a sensei, but he supposed that his sensei wasn't always a jounin and someone had to teach him. His sensei's eye crinkled obviously catching his train of thought. He was uncannily like Natsu in that way. For a long time, Naruto thought his brother was a mind reader.

"Hm, yeah. My sensei and his sensei before him were geniuses when it came to Fūinjutsu."

"Cool!" Naruto grinned widely. "I wanna meet them when we get back!"

Kakashi-sensei's hands hesitated over the supplies and suddenly Naruto wished he never opened his big mouth. However, Kakashi-sensei didn't reprimand him and instead picked up one of the brushes and held it out to him.

"You've had experience with painting, but sealing is a bit different and requires extreme precision. We'll start with a simple small storage seal. The worst that you can do is lose whatever you're trying to seal away in it."

Naruto nodded bouncing in place as his sensei handed him one of the inkwells and a brush.

"Watch how I draw this," Kakashi-sensei spoke as he dipped his own brush in the ink and started brushing it across the tag in front of him. "The ink and paper are specifically made for sealing, but you also have to manage your own chakra. While painting the lines you have to use a small amount of your own chakra. It's like tree walking."

Naruto nodded, his eyes glued to his sensei's movements. His sensei finished the design and gestured for him to try it silently. Naruto stuck his tongue out as he concentrated on copying his sensei's movements. He actually liked painting, which was why graffiti was one of his favorite pranks, but it was harder than he thought to copy the exact line work on his sensei's example. Trying to concentrate on trickling a small amount of chakra down the brush and into the lines was making the process even more difficult. He tried to make his line curve in the right way and frowned slightly when it became wobbly.

He glared at his tag, comparing his shaky line work to his sensei's before snatching another blank tag and starting over. It took three more tags until he started to get the hang of it. He looked up at his sensei triumphantly, but his cheer was caught in his throat.

His sensei was crouch in the same place he had been when he was showing Naruto the design with his head resting in his hand and a distant look in his eye as he watched Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

The man blinked slowly and shook his head as if he was clearing the stray thoughts away. "Hm, you did a good job Naruto. I suppose Fūinjutsu really is in your blood."

Now it was Naruto's turn to blink. "Eh?"

"You and Natsuki never thought to go look up your last name?" There was an odd tone to Kakashi-sensei's voice that Naruto couldn't place. Not for the first time he wished he had Natsu's ability to sense emotions.

"No…?"

"The Uzumaki clan was known for their Fūinjutsu back in the day when they were the most prominent clan in Uzushiogakure." His sensei replied.

"Whaat?!" Naruto couldn't believe this. He had never even considered that Natsu and he were a part of a clan. They were just orphans with no family. The Hokage had refused to talk about their parents, but he never thought to ask about a clan. He paused. He wasn't sure what was worse, having no family or having a clan that never stepped forward to raise his brother and him…

As if reading his thoughts, Kakashi-sensei continued.

"Though ever since the fall of Uzushiogakure, there were only a few Uzumaki left. Now that your mother is gone, you and Natsuki are the only ones to carry the name in our village and probably throughout the rest of the continent. The Uzumaki's were considered very dangerous, so they were wiped out thoroughly during the war that destroyed Uzushiogakure."

"Eh, so my mother was an Uzumaki and a Fūinjutsu master? And what in the world is Uzushiogakure? I never even heard of that place!" His mother! He was so excited he could hardly breathe. Wait till he told Natsu that his sensei knew about their mother! "What was she like? I bet she was super cool!"

His sensei chuckled and ran a hand through Naruto's hair. "Uzushiogakure was a hidden village that your clan was from. Yes, your mom was a very talented in Fūinjutsu and she was very cool. Though I wasn't as close to her as I was…"

Kakashi-sensei froze for a brief moment as his eye darkened with grief. "…well, we should concentrate on the traps right now. You're still new so I'll do most of the seal work, but I'll need your help with positioning and traps."

Naruto bit back several more questions as his sensei's face closed off. It was obvious that his sensei didn't want to answer any more questions right now. He gritted his teeth and tried to reign in his excitement. He could ask his sensei later when Natsu was there, but he should concentrate on their mission for now.

His sensei's eyes crinkled in a smile, but there was still a sad glint in his eye as he ruffled Naruto's hair. "Don't worry. I will tell you about her later, but now isn't the time or place."

"I understand sensei." He glanced over the sealing supplies. "So, what's your plan?"

His sensei's smile seemed to widen, even though Naruto couldn't see it.

"Listen closely. This'll definitely change the tide of battle."

*

Kurama was wandering the woods by himself after his little brawl with the Uchiha. It probably wasn't the most intelligent thing to do considering that fact that there were still enemies out there, but he didn't want to be around anyone right now. Especially the tiny doom speaker, Inari. The boy was extremely skittish around the Uchiha after his outburst the third night, but he wasn't nearly as hesitant voicing his opinion with anyone else. If that boy told him that he was going to die one more time today, Kurama was going to smack him.

His eyes widened as he stumbled upon a small field of flowers.

He entered it slowly and settled beneath one of the trees lining the little field. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax for the first time since the start of their little journey. He sighed heavily as he felt his shoulders lose some of their tension.

Without opening his eyes he dug his fingers into the grass and dirt searching for the hum of nature chakra. It was weaker than in the chakra saturated forest surrounding Konoha, but still definitely there. He allowed himself to smile, ignoring the slight sting of his still healing slip lip and bruised cheek.

The Uchiha did a number on him.

Though he fought back just as hard and probably left the other boy just as bruised. He put all of his anger and frustration over the last few days into that fight and now he was exhausted.

He grimaced and touch his cheek. Obviously, he was being very overt about his hesitance with his teammate to the point of the other boy noticing and getting upset over it. If a twelve-year-old noticed it, albeit a rather intelligent twelve-year-old, then Kakashi definitely did as well. He had worked so hard to avoid suspicion over who he really was, but had ended up throwing clues around left and right all because of his stupid fear over the Sharingan and his anger over Kakashi having it. He groaned and slid further down the trunk until he was lying on his back staring at the branches above him.

"You're getting flowers and grass all in your hair and clothes." A light voice chuckled.

Kurama didn't even flinch, having felt the other boy's chakra and presence long before he had made himself known to him. It was the supposed hunter-nin. He wondered vaguely if he should be more wary, but he honestly just felt exhausted and the fake tracker wasn't projecting any animosity or threatening emotions.

Just amusement.

Of course, that could change in an instant.

He opened his eyes and took a peek at the fake tracker. Eyeing his apparel he decided to simply play along for now. If the boy went through the trouble of dressing like a village girl, then he might not be here to fight.

_Or he could be planning a quiet assassination._ Another part of his mind whispered. _Like a true shinobi._

He ignored it. Regardless of the other boy's intentions, acting defensive and suspicious probably wouldn't help him.

"I know." He sat up slowly, brushing the grass and flowers from his clothes.

The tracker approach and helped him get some of the stuff from his hair, which had come out of its normal braid during his brawl with Sasuke. He grimaced as he touched some of the snarls as he tried to get rid of the elusive grass blades. He must look like such a mess right now. Judging by the spike in amusement and accompanied laugh by the fake tracker, his assumption was correct.

He sent him an unamused look which had the other boy holding up his hands in surrender despite the fact that he was still chuckling.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just your hair is sticking up all over the place."

Kurama sighed. "It does that. That's why I usually have it in a braid."

The boy nodded sympathetically before turning his attention back to the empty basket on his arm.

"Well if you excuse me, I need to gather some herbs." The fake tracker moved away from him and began picking through the plants in the meadow for the ones he wanted.

Kurama watched quietly as he tried to work the knots out of his hair with his fingers. The boy didn't seem all that disturbed by his stare. All Kurama could feel from him was calmness, like still water. He supposed that it was more than Kurama's state of mind that prevented him from noticing that the boy only pretended to kill Zabuza almost a full week ago.

He turned his gaze to the tree branches above him for a moment.

He wondered how certain humans could be in control of their emotions to that extent. Kakashi was that way, along with many other shinobi in Konoha. Sometimes he'd find his eyes following a distant shinobi running along the rooftops, yet never be able to sense a single emotion from them. It was both interesting and frustrating given his own inability to manage his new human emotions.

How could creatures that felt so much shut down those emotions or control seeming so easily? He supposed it must be a matter of experience. Unlike him, they didn't have memories of another way of life, another state of being.

He felt the fake trackers eye on him as he continued to look towards the sky.

"May I ask why you are so injured?"

Kurama considered the question for a moment before answering. "I got in a fight with my teammate."

"Oh my, that's not good. You should make up quickly!" The other boy exclaimed.

Kurama frowned and glanced down at his hands, still working at a particularly troublesome knot.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't a teammate also be a friend?" The fake tracker asked when Kurama didn't answer. "I noticed the headband on your head. You're a shinobi, aren't you? Is it different for you?"

Kurama sighed. The fake tracker was really playing it up. "You could say that, I suppose. It's not like we pick our teams."

If he could he certainly wouldn't have picked a Uchiha.

"But, you train together, don't you? Surely that would create at least a small bond?"

Kurama turned his attention to the next knot once he finished smoothing out the first. The Uchiha had a bad attitude, but after the bell test, he had been working just as hard as Naruto and him in training. He worked with them as a team while they completed D-rank missions and had even shoved him out of the way of an attack during the fight with Zabuza. He still had an attitude throughout all of this, but his actions spoke louder than his sharp words and prickly personality.

And it wasn't like he didn't understand why the boy was the way he was. It wasn't like he didn't remember a bright-eyed and smiling child those first few days of the academy.

_(He was a Uchiha. The Uchiha had the Sharingan. The Sharingan was a horrid mind-bending power that should not be in the hands or eyes of humans.)_

"It's complicated." Kurama murmured. "His clan…"

He cut himself off before he could say anything further, eyeing the other boy in faint annoyance. It was almost uncanny the way the boy could project such innocence. He was sure that if he couldn't sense his chakra, then he wouldn't have known this was the same one who rescued Zabuza.

"Hm, it sounds complicated." The boy turned back to plucking herbs, voice mild. "Though I've found that dwelling on the past prevents you from moving forward."

Kurama couldn't help the rueful smile that crossed his face. Now he was getting advice from the enemy about his relationship with his teammate? He didn't know what this boy was playing at, but he had just about enough. He shook his head and lower his hands to his lap, where they would have easier access to the weapons pouch on his hip.

"Since you're talking to me like this, I can only assume you didn't realize I am a sensor, did you?"

The boy's hands froze. Kurama could feel the spike of surprise and slight panic before it was suppressed and the boy continued picking herbs as calm and cool as he had been before. Kurama narrow his eyes. That wasn't exactly the reaction he wanted.

"I suppose that makes sense, considering how you reacted to Zabuza-sama's killing intent. You played along for quite a while, though, I'm surprised." There was an underlining edge to his voice and demeanor.

Like a thin layer of ice over the calm water he had felt before.

"I was trying to figure out what you were planning." Kurama paused and glanced over the other boy critically as he went over their conversation in his head. "But, you didn't really have a plan did you?"

"You caught me." The boy smiled blandly, eyes cold. "Now what, Konoha shinobi-san?"

Kurama sighed. "Honestly, I don't know."

They could fight. They probably should be fighting considering the fact that they were on opposites sides of this mission, but neither picked up a weapon. They simply sat in silence as the boy continued to pick herbs.

"So tell me." The boy smiled after a few minutes. "Do you have a precious person?"

Kurama sighed. "Of course, I do. My brother among others."

"But not your wayward teammate that you had a nasty fight with?" There was a thread of faint amusement that Kurama wasn't especially fond of.

"That's…"

"...complicated." The boy finished with a laugh.

Kurama sighed in frustration. They should have just fought it out.

"It's just curious to me." The boy began slowly. "Watching your group fight Zabuza-sama, I couldn't help but notice how much your teammates care for you when you were hurting and threatened by Zabuza-sama. It was interesting to see the black haired push you out of the way of what would have been a fatal attack by Zabuza-sama. Yet, here you are fresh from a fight with him."

_'Why did I bother caring for someone who won't even look me in the eye?!'_

"How didn't you know I fought with him and not my blond teammate?" He asked in annoyance.

"Hm, you said your brother was your precious person without an ounce of hesitancy." He replied. "You may have different hair and eye colors, but your facial features are the same."

_And I'm not an idiot_ was the undermining tone.

Kurama flopped back on the ground.

"You're going to get grass in your hair again." The other boy said mildly.

Kurama didn't respond and the boy laughed quietly.

"My name is Haku." The boy murmured.

"Why tell me this when you know we'll end up fighting when your 'Zabuza-sama' is in full health again?"

"You're interesting," Haku replied promptly before pausing as his voice became frigid. "Or perhaps it's part of my devious plan to sabotage your battle with Zabuza-sama and myself. After all, names can hold power whether it be good or bad. Like a certain clan and your teammate."

Kurama didn't reply.

Why was his constantly surrounded by clever humans?

The old man, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Kakashi and even Naruto though most wouldn't see his brother's intelligence. It was a constant struggle to maintain his secrets, his lies. Watch his every word. Action. Movement. All because of the ever encompassing fear of imprisonment, of hatred. He didn't like seeing his brother cry. He didn't want to be the one to make him do so. He didn't want to see the fear and hatred from the people he had come to care for. From the people he knew he hurt twelve years ago. It was, to quote Shikamaru, troublesome.

He was just...tired. Very tired.

Eventually, Haku left without with the barest brush of cloth and lightest step. Kurama tracked his chakra until it left his range before huffing and turning his attention back to the sky above him. He stared up at the sky silently until the sun started to go down and shadows began to stretch over the meadow. He stood up once the sun had completely set wincing at phantom pains from now healed bruises and trudged back to their client's house.

Kurama glanced up when he noticed a familiar chakra and tried to not flinch when he saw his sensei reading silently as he leaned against a tree.

He hesitated a moment before walking over to him. He leaned against the tree next to him and sighed quietly. He hesitated again. But...he needed to do this. He had been acting too suspicious...and he discovered over the past week that he still didn't want to push his sensei away from him, even after learning about the Sharingan.

"Sorry, sensei." He bit his lip before continuing. "I've been acting stupid."

"Hm." Kakashi flipped a page in his book. "Yes, you have. Feeling better?"

"Yes." Kurama glanced up at his sensei. "You're not going to ask about it?"

"Would you tell me the truth?"

"Ah."

The man was as smart as ever. Sometimes Kurama wondered just how much the man had discerned from his demeanor. He wondered if the man had an inkling...but surely he would have acted differently towards him if that were the case. Kakashi was a good shinobi, but a biju made even the best cower.

"Then what's the point?"

Kakashi-sensei glanced down at his face and chuckled. "Don't get me wrong. I'm curious, after all, you are the most mature out of your teammates and even if you aren't as outgoing as your brother you usually make an attempt to talk to people, even Sasuke."

Kurama looked away at the subtly pointed tone in Kakashi's voice. "...I know. I'm sorry. I've just been...frustrated."

"Hm. Well, I suppose that's the best I'm going to get right now, isn't it?" He snapped his book closed, making Kurama flinch slightly. "Zabuza is going to attack again and I have a gut feeling that it'll be very soon. I know that it's rough for you with your ability, but if you're going to freeze up again I'm going to have to make you sit out. Zabuza isn't going to be playing around this time. You three made a fool out of him, so he won't underestimate you guys again. Natsuki, I need to know if you can handle another battle."

Kurama looked at his feet for a moment before looking up into his sensei's eye for the first time since the previous battle.

"I will handle it sensei."

Even if it hurt. Even if his body rebelled against him with nausea and his mind swam dizzyingly with emotions not his own, he would deal with it. He was sick of having to be rescued. He would find a way to deal with it even if he had to flood the battlefield with his own chakra. Though he hoped it wouldn't come to that point. Due to the circumstances of his birth with him "having no chakra of his own", he knew that it was likely he was watched more closely than his brother in regards to his chakra use and state of mind. Although he would never lose control like Naruto did with his chakra, it was probably best not to push the matter and use his chakra in ways that would be abnormal for a twelve-year-old genin, even for a jinjuriki. It was a thin line to walk, between gaining strength and holding back but one he choose to maintain his life, however, strange it had gotten.

_(He couldn't falter. He couldn't go back to that place. He couldn't lose his connection to the earth again. He couldn't. He'd lose it. He be as insane as his youngest brother, who still screamed incoherently into the silence of their faint connection as biju.)_

_(He couldn't face Naruto's fear. He couldn't bare making the boy hurt more than he already had by killing his parent and being the cause of the villager's hatred.)_

The man tilted his head in acknowledgment before ruffling his hair, pulling him thoroughly from the abyss of his own mind. Kurama scowled at him in weak annoyance. The man always seemed to know when Kurama was falling and caught him just in time.

For that, Kurama was endlessly grateful. Even if the man had one of those damn eyes.

"Alright, that's good enough for me." He shoved Kurama lightly towards the house. "You missed dinner, but the lady of the house saved you some food so make sure you thank her, ok?"

Kurama nodded and headed towards the door.

"And Natsuki? You can rely on your teammates and myself if you feel overwhelmed or if something is troubling you. You know that right?"

_'Regrettably, I cannot let you run loose.'_

_'You're saying that we have a…a monster inside of us? A-A demon that almost d-destroyed the village?'_

He sighed. "Yes, sensei."

He loved his brother and he cared for his sensei despite him having an eye he hates, but he still wasn't sure how they'd react to the truth. In his moment of weakness in the past, he was trapped in a seal for decades. Now he was in an even weaker state…

He smiled tiredly as the woman fussed over his messy state as he entered the house. She muttered about children and silly fighting under her breath as she set food out in front of him.

"Thank you, Tsunami-san." He said a faint smile. Her son may have been a pain, but she had been nothing but polite to them despite the danger their presence brought upon her house. "I'm alright now, so you don't have to worry."

"Honestly, you shinobi are something else." She huffed a final time before dishing out some extra food onto his plate and returning to the sink to wash some dishes.

He slipped into the dark room with his teammates. Naruto was passed out, stretched across his futon sideways. Kurama smiled and shook his head. His smiled faded slightly as he looked at his other teammate's tense back. It was obvious that the other boy was still awake. He wasn't sure what to say to the boy after their fight. He knew what the boy wanted and he understood that he had hurt him by being so standoffish and never looking him directly in the eye, but…he was a Uchiha.

He sighed and laid down on his own futon.

He'd figure out a way to apologize tomorrow, but tonight the emotions were still too raw.

It took the Uchiha a long time to fall asleep, but eventually, he did and Kurama allowed himself to do the same.

Tomorrow.

He'd apologize tomorrow.

The next morning they got up at the crack of dawn to accompany their client to the bridge leaving behind a couple of clones to guard the house since they'd all be out for the first time. Kurama listened with half an ear as Naruto excitedly explained the traps he help set up with Kakashi yesterday.

Kurama kept glancing at the Uchiha, at…Sasuke, out of the corner of his eye trying to figure out what he wanted to say.

His train of thought was halted by two familiar chakra signature appearing. He glanced up at the bridge ahead of them his hand raised to inform his team, but it turned out to be unnecessary as everyone else caught sight of the bodies.

"Look who decided to show up." Zabuza was leaning casually on his sword in the middle of the bridge.

"Shouldn't that be our line?" Kakashi replied. "After all, you were the one who supposedly died."

"Heh, you don't seem all that surprised. Figured it out, did ya?" After enough time spent with Kakashi, he could tell there was a shit eating grin under the man's bandages.

"It was rather obvious in retrospect." Kakashi's voice was mild, but Kurama could see the tension in his shoulders as he addressed them in a low voice. "I'll engage Zabuza. Natsuki, Naruto, Sasuke work together to take out his little assistant. Tazuna-san please stay back and out of the way."

"Yes, sensei." The murmured together.

Their sensei nodded, glancing briefly at Naruto. "I'll leave that to your digression Naruto."

"Yes, sensei."

There was silence after that as they watched their opponents and were watched in return. Kurama eyed the masked boy, Haku, he reached out with his senses but only found a rigid determination. He grimaced, and suddenly the brief reprieve was done.

Zabuza went flying towards their sensei mist already starting to surround them, while Haku launched himself toward them. Kurma brought up a kunai to block as Sasuke and Naruto darted out to surround the boy.

"If you just let us have the bridge builder, then we won't have to fight." The boy murmured.

"Too bad!" Naruto shouted his hands forming a familiar sign. "Our mission is to protect him!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurama saw Sasuke do the same. Catching on he broke his stalemate and used the boy's shoulder to leap into the air, out of the way of his teammate attack.

" _Hand of Waves!_ "

Kurama felt the flash of amusement before the jutsu hit.

The blast of water froze before hitting the boy, curling around him like a shield of ice. His hand flashed through several signs and suddenly the ice struck out with spikes in all directions.

"Get back!"

There wasn't much he could do while in the air. He barely twisted around the first spike and used another to push himself to safety. However, a third one managed to catch him in the side as he leaped. He gritted his teeth and ignored the pain as he landed between his teammates. It wasn't a deep cut, he'd be fine.

"Water…was probably not the best element to use against me."

Zabuza cackled from where he was engaged in a complicated taijutsu battle with Kakashi. "Hah, using water jutsus against Haku! That's like handing a sword to a kenjutsu specialist!"

"Now that your three are together." Haku murmured his hands flashing through signs. " _Crystal Ice Mirrors._ "

The spikes that surrounded the boy suddenly flew towards them creating mirrors around them. Kurama frowned sensing the boy's chakra permeate the mirrors and surround them thoroughly. Once the mirrors had completely formed Haku entered one and seemed to appear in all of them at once.

"Naruto now would be a good time to implement that plan of yours." Kurama murmured.

"Right, um, right." His brother's eyes darted around before his took out three kunai and tossed them to three different places within the circle they were now trapped in. "We need to stand in those spots."

Kurama nodded.

"I don't know what your plan is, but I won't let you make it to those places." Haku's voice echoed from the mirrors and suddenly they were on the defensive from senbon needles from every direction.

Dodging them was nearly impossible without running into each other and creating an even bigger target. He scowled as he dove forward to try and make it to one of the kunai, but was blocked by another volley of senbon cutting four lines across his cheek similar to Naruto's markings. He couldn't even sense the boy properly to judge where the attacks would come from. His chakra was everywhere.

He heard his teammates cry out behind him, but he couldn't look back to check on them for fear of being skewered by another wave. He tried diving for one of the mirrors, but was repelled with a sharp kick sending him flying into the Uchiha who had apparently been doing a decent job of dodging.

Kurama covered them both as best he could with his kunai, knocking several senbon away. He couldn't prevent the three that slipped through his guard and into his already wounded side. He bit back a sound of pain, not wanting to give the boy the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. He felt a hand tug on his sleeve, and he glanced back at the Uchiha.

He froze when he caught sight of red eyes.

_(Hypnotizing. Disgusting. Pain. Pain. Pain. He was screaming inside his own mind. Watching from within as he moved under the command of someone else.)_

"Idiot! Move!"

Red.

He felt warm liquid splash against his face.

He watched silently as the Uchiha…as Sasuke fell in front of him seemingly in slow motion. His body hit the ground with a thump.

"Sasuke!"

_Again._

"Natsu get to the kunai now!"

His body move on its own, shoving the limp body to one of the kunai and dove for another, not caring about the senbon embedding themselves into his back as he dove.

_Why?_

He focused on the flickering chakra, latching onto it like a lifeline. He was alive. Alive. Even though he looked...

_After the way I treated him. After our fight._

"This is for Sasuke, you bastard!" Naruto screamed. "Get down Natsu!"

_Why would he put himself in front of me?_

Ninja wire exploded from seals placed strategically along the bridge. The sticky bombs on the ends stuck them to the opposite pillars from their seals, creating a deadly crisscrossing pattern of razor sharp wire.

Ice mirrors shatter around them and Haku cried out in pain.

"You fuckers!" Zabuza shouted.

Kurama looked up as the mist faded to see the man skewered through the right shoulder and leg by two different wires. Haku was quick enough to evade being skewered, but had been caught between two crossing wires. The x mark the wires created on his chest leaked blood profusely as his mask crack and fell to his feet.

His face was cold.

"You hurt Zabuza-sama. I shouldn't have gone easy on you."

The air thickened with both of their opponents killing intent. Kurama choked, clutching at his head. He fell to the ground his vision blurring at the influx of emotions. He could feel Naruto's panic and fear. Kakashi's worry. Zabuza, Haku and Sasuke's pain.

The hatred.

The fear.

The pain.

_No._

He stared at the Uchih-Sasuke's unconscious face. He was covered in so much blood. The senbon needles cutting through his venerable muscles and tendons likely creating even more pain on top of obvious paralysis.

_He refused._

He could hear Naruto shouting and felt an influx of chakra as he likely engaged Haku in battle.

_He was sick of this._

_He wasn't weak._

He closed his eyes as the pain became too much.

_He was Kurama._

_He was the nine tailed biju._

_He refused to be this weak!_

His chakra surged with his rage, coursing through his veins and exploding out of him in waves dispersing the killing intent like mist. He pushed himself to his feet, feeling giddy with the influx of power.

_The faint sound of cracking glass echoed in the back of his mind._

He laughed hysterically as his chakra surged.

The world around him burned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact when I originally wrote this, Sasuke's section was difficult to write. He didn't want to do what I wanted, so I rewrote that section like five different times, till I was happy with it. I do genuinely like Sasuke and want to do him justice in this fic. He's one of those characters where I can understand why he makes the choices he does, even if I don't agree with them (which is why some of his later decisions in Shippuden annoyed me so much when I looked into spoilers). I also realized while writing Naruto's section that Kakashi is really holding a lot of secrets back and I wasn't sure how to approach it since in my mind he really should be telling Naruto about his parents, but I realized slowly that he's probably got a major gag order from the Hokage and likely has a huge amount of guilt over the whole affair making him hesitate. We'll address it more later, but for now I wanted to get some bonding in with those two.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurama has a little fun...at the expense poor Haku.

There was nothing quite as potent as the Kyuubi's untainted wrath.

It awakened a primal fear within him that made his muscles seize and the breath leave his lungs.

Kakashi collapsed to his knees as soon as the red chakra infuse the area. He forced his head to turn to the source of the malevolent chakra and felt a sinking feeling in his gut when he caught sight of the smaller Uzumaki with eyes as red as the chakra curling maliciously around him into a cyclone of fiery chakra.

The resulting explosion from the sudden release of the Kyuubi's chakra had burned and snapped the wires surrounding the three. Out of the corner of his eye saw Zabuza gasp and collapse on the ground as the wires suspending him snapped as well.

"Shit." He heard Zabuza mutter. "That little brat is a jinchuuriki?"

Kakashi didn't respond, of course, the missing-nin would realize immediately what that chakra meant. The man had led a coup against his own Kage who, if their information was true, was also one of the village's two jinchuuriki. He should know better than any other known missing-nin what a Jinchuuriki felt like when they went ballistic.

Kakashi swallowed and pushed himself to his feet, his limbs shaking from the effort.

The cyclone of chakra surrounding Natsuki was raged fiercely now and he could barely make out the boy standing in the center, untouched…and laughing. It was almost ironic that the boy would collapse under the weight of killing intent, but somehow manage to stand tall in the middle of that corrosive chakra.

_Then again,_ he thought grimly. _This might not be Natsuki anymore._

He winced at the thought.

His hand slowly went to the inner pouch of his vest, where two scrolls were stored and carefully protected. He had been given them after he became the twin's sensei, but hadn't thought he'd have to use one so soon. From what he remembered, Kushina never lost control like this.

_Then again,_ a rebellious part of his mind thought. _She had been trained as a jinchuuriki and took the beast much later in life than Naruto and Natsuki. Sensei just thrust the two into this life and the Hokage never trained them for their roles._

He shook his head free of such thoughts, wondering vaguely if the Kyuubi's chakra had an effect on enhancing negative emotions. He shook the stray thought from his mind and focused on the issue in front of him. He should have been more prepared for this. Natsuki had been acting off all week. He knew that the boy was struggling, undoubtedly with the beast considering how much he was shying away from him after revealing his Sharingan, but he took the boy for his word and allowed him to fight.

He winced as another hot wave of wrathful chakra curled around him nearly sending him to his knees again. He heard Zabuza curse again. He glanced at his other students trying to assess whether he needed to address them or Natsuki first. They were worryingly close to Natsuki, with Sasuke on the ground and Naruto crouch over him, his eyes wide and fearful.

Kakashi's heart nearly stop when he saw the blond dove towards his brother.

A blur flashed by and suddenly both Naruto and Sasuke were between Zabuza and himself with Zabuza's apprentice standing in front of them, still bleeding but with a determined look on his face. Kakashi sighed in relief.

"Wait! What!? Natsuki!" Naruto shouted.

"Stay back." The boy murmured. "The boy is lost…"

All eyes turned to Natsuki when his laughter died out abruptly. The cyclone was gone, though the air was still oppressive. The chakra now hovered around the boy, flickering like flames. Natsuki lifted his head and Kakashi caught his breath for an entirely different reason.

From what he had heard a rampaging jinchuuriki was animalistic and violent. But…

There was an almost serene look on his face. His lips were curled up in a faint smile. It would have been relieving if Natsuki's eyes weren't as red as the chakra that still flickered around him. Kakashi had noticed the odd way his eyes would change to a more reddish purple when he was upset or angry, but this…was entirely different. His eyes seemed to almost give off a glow and his pupils were completed slitted; like a fox.

He swallowed, his mind flashing back to the towering figure that blocked out the moonlight and took out squads of shinobi with a mere swipe of his paw.

His hand tightened around the seal.

There was a flash that Kakashi only managed to follow with his Sharingan eye and suddenly Zabuza's apprentice and Natsuki were clashing. Ice incases senbon needle against newly sharpened claws. The ice from the senbon needle extended and incased Natsuki's hand. Kakashi watched as Zabuza's glanced around, eye's lingering on Zabuza's still kneeling figure.

Natsuki growled lowly and ripped his hand away, ice shards flying in all directions.

"Please, retreat Zabuza-sama." The boy said grimly as his eyes hardened as he blocked another attack, just barely managing to not get himself gutted by those sharp claws. Flames now flickered around Natsuki's hands, preventing them from being trapped. With one last glance towards his master, the boy broke away and dove off of the side of the bridge, Natsuki following half a step behind.

"Natsuki!" Naruto cried, still clutching Sasuke but looking as though he wanted to dive off of the bridge as well.

At the same time, Zabuza growled. "Stupid brat! What the fuck do you think you're doing?! That little shit will kill you!"

Kakashi sighed wondering when everything had gone to hell. It was when he accepted this idiotic mission, he decided immediately. He should have just stayed in Konoha and trained them himself rather than going on a C-rank so soon after they became genin. He released the scroll and approached his other two students.

"Naruto. What happened to Sasuke?" He knelt next to them as he asked, reaching for the boy's neck to check for a pulse.

"Oh, um. We were fighting the other dude…chick? And Sasuke was doing really well, I think his eyes were like yours, the Sharingan or whatever, anyway, Natsuki went down and Sasuke blocked him from a volley of those senbon needles. Natsuki freaked out after that…I think…I think Natsuki though he was dead…Sensei…is he…?" Naruto's hands trembled and Kakashi very pointedly didn't look up at the boy's face. He didn't want to see the fear in those blue eyes.

"No. He's still breathing Naruto." He murmured lightly slapping at the Uchiha's face to see if he would get a reaction. The boy's nose wrinkled and his eyes fluttered behind their lids. "It looks like Zabuza's apprentice wasn't aiming to kill. He'll be fine, just keep an eye on him until he wakes up."

"What about you?"

Kakashi sighed and turned to where he could see the flaring of red chakra over the river. "I have to go knock some sense back into your brother."

Naruto nodded slowly then glanced at the now standing missing-nin, who was staring at the fight on the river with a conflicted expression. "What about him?"

Kakashi looked at the man for a moment before pitching his voice so the other could hear him. "Well, his apprentice is sacrificing himself to let his master run, so I would assume the master in question should be leaving soon…unless the Demon of the Mist actually does have a heart under all that gruff."

"Shut your Kami-damned mouth Hatake before I skewer you for such slander." The man replied almost automatically. "That brat is just a tool. I told him that from the start. You can bet your ass I'm leaving. I didn't sign-up for a Jinchuuriki battle. I ain't being paid enough for that shit."

He didn't move.

"Good thing I'm not a betting man," Kakashi muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes.

He turned back to Naruto. "I doubt he'll cause any more trouble right now. Just keep an eye on Sasuke and…" He glanced up towards the man cowering man near the end of the bridge hiding by some equipment. "…protect our client."

He narrowed his eyes as a group slowly came into view behind their client.

This was unfortunate timing.

Naruto tugged at his sleeve. "Sensei, my clone we left at the house just popped. Some guys tried to kidnap Tsunami-san! Our clones stopped them though."

"I see," Kakashi replied distractedly as the group came fully into view.

A group of ruffians led by the notorious Gatō. Tazuna leaped from his spot immediately and ran over to Kakashi.

"Tsk, tsk. Zabuza-san, you said you could handle this." The man looked pointedly around the bridge. "This doesn't look like handling it to me. Why haven't you just killed the bridge builder yet? It was a very simple task."

Zabuza growled lowly as he turned to his boss. "Things are a bit more complicated now. Fuck off."

"Now that just won't do," Gatō replied in a condescending tone that made Kakashi's eye twitch on principle. "Oh well, men kill everyone. The one who kills Zabuza gets a bonus."

Kakashi eyed the groups as they pulled out their swords excitedly. They were just a bunch of thugs with swords. A few may have had some shinobi training, but he was sure any genin could have handled any one of them easily. As a group, however….

He glanced towards the river again where the fiery chakra was still flashing. He looked back at Naruto who was glaring indignantly at the group with a kunai in hand and Sasuke who was only just starting to wake up.

"Go Hatake." The gruff voice startled Kakashi and he glanced over at the missing-nin in surprise. The man was tying off some cloth around his injuries before he picked up his sword and swung it slowly. He grinned widely at the group, making them hesitate at the sight of his sharp teeth and giant sword. "Go knock some sense into your brat, I'll handle my shitty employer. Your other brats won't come to any harm and neither will the bridge builder."

Kakashi nodded slowly. He turned to Naruto and slipped him some exploding tags. "Throw these at anyone who gets too close."

"Yes, sensei." The boy replied seriously. "Go make sure Natsuki's ok. I'll handle things here."

Kakashi smirked and ruffled the boy's hair. For a brief moment, he looked exactly like his father. He stood and make his way towards the edge of the bridge as the Gatō's group began to charge.

"Hatake." Zabuza knocked back the first wave easily with a wave of his sword. "Make sure my brat comes back in one piece. I need to do some sense knocking myself."

"I will do my best," Kakashi replied before jumping off of the bridge.

He allowed himself to freefall for a bit, before twisting his body around and used his chakra to allow him to hold onto the side of one of the bridge's pillars. For a moment everything was tranquil as the sound of fighting was drowned out by the lapping of the waves against the pillar. Kakashi took a deep breath and forced a large amount of chakra through his feet to launch himself towards the flashing red chakra drifting further and further downriver.

*

He was elated.

Ever since gaining this human body he had never had this much chakra running through his veins. In his fear of discovery and breaking his newly frail body, he had never allowed himself to use more than a faint trickle of his power. Now, however, his chakra hummed, practically begging to be used.

In that moment, with his chakra singing in his veins and dancing at his feet, he couldn't think of a single reason not to give in and use it to his heart's content.

Kurama grinned as he dove after his opponent without a care for how high the bridge was. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the air rushing pass him as he fell. He landed on top of the water with a bang sending waves arching above his head in every direction and forcing Haku to leap higher onto the bridge's pillar to avoid getting a face full of water. Apparently, the boy had decided to take the safer route and run down the side of the bridge instead of simply free falling, like Kurama.

Haku hands flashing through signs as fast as lightening. Kurama saw it coming, however, and he leaped into the air as ice formed under his feet forming into those annoying mirrors from before. He landed lightly on top of the dome before being forced to move again as the mirrors turned to spikes in an instant.

He laughed and twirled out of the way of icy senbon thrown his way.

His chakra crackled happily around him and melting any that got too close.

He landed on the choppy waves a few feet away. Haku landed on the tip of one of his spikes a senbon in each hand.

"You've been holding back." Kurama grinned as more chakra rushed through his veins at the thought of a challenge. The amount of chakra running through him was making him a little giddy.

"So have you." The boy replied evenly. "I'll admit, I did not expect you to be a Jinchuuriki. It seems you are full of surprises."

"Hm," Kurama smirked. "Yes, I suppose I am."

The boy stared at him for a moment. "You are also saner than I thought you'd be right now."

Kurama's smirk widened. "Yes, I suppose I am."

_(A bijuus power could wreck a human's mind thoroughly, but he wasn't just any human. His chakra welcomed and protected him. Knowing he was in charge. Not the other way around. He was still a bijuu even if this body wasn't.)_

He leaped at him, claws extended and chakra curling around him like a cloak of pure energy. The boy leaped away, throwing senbon behind him as he fled further from the bridge. Kurama growled in faint annoyance before flipping around and using the side of the ice spikes to launching himself after the boy.

It was clever, even if it was a bit annoying. The boy knew he couldn't take him head on, so he used his speed to try and put some distance between them throwing attacks to distract and slow him down.

As he flew through the air he shaped his charka effortlessly and sent flames forward. Haku blocked with a hastily formed ice wall as Kurama landed. Kurama grinned and leaped at the boy claws first before twisting his attack into a kick as the boy brought his hands up to block his face from his claws. Haku quickly absorbed the blow to his stomach with a wince before striking, senbon in hand as he aimed for Kurama's neck.

He grinned and dodge to the side hand darting out to claw at him, but was blocked by more ice. He broke through it by flaring his chakra and his claws griped boys shoulder before he could dodge or formed more ice walls.

Several more waves of ice spikes and senbon were thrown at him as the boy tore himself from Kurama's grasp tearing four jagged wounds into his shoulder as he went. Kurama simply stood there and allow him to break away. The chakra hovering around him to destroyed the attacks thrown his way. A few metal senbon were mixed in with the ice ones, but they melted just as easily under the heat of his flames.

He cackled to himself before pulling more chakra to use.

His vision wavered suddenly and he frowned. He looked down at his hands, only to find them trembling.

_(He heard the faint sound of glass cracking within his own mind and a rush of terror flooded him. If he took too much than this body would…)_

"Natsuki!" He jerked at his sensei's panicked call.

Haku used his distraction to lob more senbon at him catching him off guard before diving forward with a quick series of jabs and kicks. Kurama growled in annoyance as the boy managed to get a glancing blow at his head.

"Get away!" He snapped flaring his chakra.

The boy flew way immediately as Kurama fed more of his chakra into the area around him creating a dense haze of red that was undoubtedly oppressive to everyone else given the way Haku finally collapsed onto his knees barely managing to keep himself from sinking into the river.

His hand was still trembling and he felt his skin itch with the beginnings of a burn.

He sighed.

It seemed like this was his limit.

He reined in his chakra bringing it back to his normal trickle shoving the rest back into the seal. The skin on his stomach burned briefly and he fell to his knees at the sudden lack of power making him shiver. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he glanced up at his sensei's worried face.

"Natsuki?"

"Sensei," He murmured quietly. "Sorry, I..."

He wasn't sure how exactly he was going to play this one. From his sensei's perspective, it probably looked like he had lost control. He glanced away towards Haku, who was still kneeling clutching at his injuries and watching him intently before looking back at his sensei.

"I…is Sasuke ok?" He finally tried.

Kakashi nodded as he gave him a searching look.

"So, you're back to normal then?"

Kurama and Kakashi turned to the other boy. Kurama blinked in surprise.

"What-" He started, but was interrupted.

"You lost control of your bijuu when you saw your teammate collapse." Haku stood slowly and gestured around at the wake of their battle. The water was still very choppy and there were clumps of ice just starting to melt. "You were unhinged so I lured you away from your teammates and Zabuza-sama in hopes of preventing you from killing them. I suppose that last hit and perhaps seeing your sensei managed to knock you out of it."

Kurama stared at the boy in surprise. "I…"

Kakashi sighed.

"Well, that makes my job a lot easier." He ruffled Kurama's hair. "You had me worried, kid."

"I'm sorry, sensei." Kurama looked at the water below him, staring pensively at his reflection for a moment. "What happened to Naruto and Sasuke?"

"Gatō arrived with a group of thugs to finish the mission, but Zabuza engaged them. They're probably wiped out by now. Those guys wouldn't be much trouble to him, even injured." Kakashi looked over at Haku. "Gatō betray you two by setting his men on your master. I propose a temporary truce."

Haku nodded. "I knew he was untrustworthy, but he did pay well. Even so, I won't miss him."

"Then lets head back and sort-out the injury's and damage."

"For what it's worth, we didn't kill the workers. Just knocked them unconscious."

"I see."

Hours later, Kurama sighed and leaned against the wall watching as the party rage wildly in the room. Tazuna had broken out his alcohol collection and the other villagers brought their own in order to celebrate their sudden freedom from Gatō and his men. He felt a faint smile tug at his lips as the Inari hopped up on the table to tell the story of how Naruto (or his clone more accurately) saved him from Gatō's men when they came to kidnapped his mother. Naruto was in the middle of the crowd receiving hardy slaps on the back as he blushed at the huge amount attention focused on him.

Once they had gotten back to the bridge, Zabuza had taken care of his former's bosses men and was leaning against the railing trying to stem the blood flow from his wounds, while the large group of villagers, apparently led by Inari, surrounded Gatō with menacing grins on their faces. Kurama was surprised that they didn't kill him right there, but apparently, they had reached a consensus to execute him in a more suitable way. Kurama wasn't sure what they considered suitable, but it wasn't really his business at this point and he didn't particularly care.

He rolled his shoulders wincing slightly as his muscles twinged painfully. Ever since shoving his chakra back into his seal he had felt a bone deed ache throughout his body. He may have pushed himself a bit too far, judging by the pain and burns on his hands and feet, where he had concentrated most of his chakra during his fight with Haku. He stared at his bandaged hands for a moment. Even if he used a bit too much, he was certain that he could push his limits with practice. He'd just have to get his body used to more power slowly. He might never be able to use his full power in this human body, but…

He wasn't sure how Kakashi or the Hokage would take his sudden focus on his raw chakra. He knew they were both nervous about him using the "Kyuubi's" chakra. He knew that they must have kept a close eye on him. But…

He clinched his hands into fists, ignoring the pain.

_(The feeling of his power coursing untamed through his body was intoxicating.)_

He was so tired of being so weak.

A quick movement by the door caught his eye, startling him out of his thoughts. He caught the tail end of Zabuza and Haku leaving, unnoticed by the rest of the partiers. Kurama was after them in a split second. He never got the chance to talk to Haku after the battle. They had all been shuffled over to Tazuna's house to be bandaged and then the party had started abruptly once what had happened dawned on the villagers. As the party raged on the two had made themselves scare despite getting the blessing of the village for defeating Gatō's thugs.

He hurried after them, through the dark woods not bothering to conceal his footsteps in hopes of getting them to notice and stop. While he didn't necessarily want to talk to Zabuza about the situation, he still wanted some answers.

"Zabuza-sama."

"Yeah, yeah. Do what you want brat."

The two stopped in an empty clearing and turn to face him. Kurama hesitated slightly, before stepping into the moonlit clearing himself.

"I was hoping we'd get to talk before we left, but Zabuza insisted on moving on." Haku smiled at him blandly. The man in question just grunted and leaned against a tree.

They were silent for a moment as Kurama tried to figure out how to word his question. "Why…why did you lie for me? You knew I was in control of myself during the fight not…the Kyuubi."

Haku tilted his head to the side as he considered the question.

Zabuza muttered a quiet, "Shit, you're the _nine-tails container_? That's even worse."

"You were holding back." Haku finally spoke quietly. "There were several times in our fight when you could have killed me, but you didn't."

"I still injured you," Kurama replied.

"True, but injuries heal. Death does not."

"Ah…well, thank you I suppose."

They were silent once again. A small breeze made the grass sway and shadows dance.

"May I ask, why you looked so panicked back then? Surely it would ease your sensei's mind that you weren't in fact taken over by the beast?"

Kurama narrowed his eyes. "You could ask, but you won't get an answer."

He was having enough trouble hiding from everyone in the village, he didn't' need any rumors outside of it.

Haku nodded with a smile. "I see. Well, if that's all, I suppose this is where we part."

The boy turned to leave, but Zabuza remained his eyes on Kurama. "Word of advice, kid, leave while you can."

"What?" Kurama responded his eyes widened slightly.

"Think of it as my thank you for not offing Haku when you had the chance." Zabuza pushed himself off of the tree and into the moonlight. He had his make-shift mask down, so rays made his sharp teeth glint when he spoke. "It's no secret that jinchuuriki are treated like shit by their villages. Shinobi are weapons fear by civilians, but jinchuuriki? Their on another level. Most see 'em as the demon's themselves and treat them as such. Best to get out of there as quick as possible. Living as a missing-nin is rough, but better than being treated like a demon in your own damn home."

There was a surprising amount of understanding in his eyes.

Then again he was _The Demon of the Mist_. He supposed this human would know understand better than most how people treated those they thought of as monsters. Kurama smiled faintly, despite the man's well-earned nickname he was surprisingly soft under his gruff exterior.

"Thank you for the advice, Zabuza-san." Kurama replied his smile still in place. "You're right, there is a lot of animosity, especially since the Kyuubi attack the village so recently. But, I have some people I can't just leave behind."

"They worth it?"

Kurama thought of his brother, who was technically the actual jinchuuriki out of the two of them. He thought of the Hokage, Kakashi, Iruka, the friends they had made at the academy, and even Sasuke who had saved him twice now. His smile widened.

"Yes, yes they are."

Zabuza shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself kid. Don't come crying to me when everything goes to shit, though. Got enough trouble dealing with this brat."

He gestured to Haku, who simply raised his eyebrow in return. Kurama stifled a laugh and bow slightly.

"Thank you for protecting my teammates from Gatō's men and thank you, again, Haku for lying for me."

Haku bowed in return while Zabuza just waved his hand. "Whatever, just know that we won't be holding back if we meet on opposite sides again, so you better not either. Ya hear? And let that sensei of yours know that I want a good, uninterrupted fight with him next time we meet."

"Yes." He felt a thrum of excitement run through him when Haku leveled a determined stare on him, promising silently that he would be training to match his strength.

They were gone in the next second. Leaving him alone in the small meadow. He noticed for the first time that it was the same one where he had met Haku. He shook his head and started to walk back to the house. Hopefully, he hadn't been missed.

He found his teammates sitting outside the house. Naruto jumped up and waved excitedly. Sasuke stood much slower with a scowl on his face.

"Natsu! Where were you? Tsunami-san said that the party was getting too much for kids and sent Inari off to bed. She was going to send us to bed too, but we couldn't find you!"

Kurama smiled at his brother's exuberance. "Zabuza and Haku left."

"So you tailed them. Natsu that's dangerous!" Naruto frowned.

"Just for a little while, they didn't seem to mind. Just ignored me, before telling me to shoo. Zabuza told me to tell Kakashi-sensei that he looked forward to an actual fight between them." Kurama glanced around, even though he could sense Kakashi's chakra still in the house. "Where is Kakashi-sensei?"

"One of those drunkards got a hold of him for some sort of game," Sasuke replied sullenly.

Kurama looked at him for a moment, noting the amount of bandages and the way the boy's shoulders slumped. Naruto raised his eyebrows and gestured minutely at him with an expectant look on his face.

Kurama sighed.

He supposed he did owe the Uchiha for all of the times the boy had saved him during this mission.

He was still a Uchiha. He still had those horrid eyes that Kurama would forever hate…but he was also Sasuke. His teammate. The boy who threw himself in the line of fire for him not once, but twice during a single mission, despite Kurama treating him like shit.

He stepped up to the boy so he was standing in front of him.

"I…I wanted to thank you for saving me and…" He glanced away for a second before looking back at him, this time looking the boy in the eye. "I wanted to apologize for the way I've been treating you since becoming teammates."

He saw the way his eyes widened in shock and caught a glimpse of joy flicker through his eyes before being squashed by hesitation and faint suspicion. The boy looked away first. Kurama watched his hands clench and unclench as his side as he tried to find his words.

"Why."

It wasn't a question, more of a demand with a hint of suppressed anger. Kurama sighed. Of course it wouldn't be so easy. He rubbed his forehead trying to figure out how he would spin this one. He supposed it was probably best to stick with as much truth as possible. He was already entangled in a web of lies, there was no need to add to much more. He glanced at his brother. He just hoped the Uchiha was receptive to their status.

"It has to do with the Kyuubi." He stated, wincing at the uncertain look on his brother's face once he realized what Kurama was going to reveal to their teammate.

Sasuke was looking at him again. Kurama just sighed again and sat down on the ground abruptly, gesturing for the other two to do the same. Sasuke hesitated for a moment before sitting on the front steps of the house, while Naruto sat beside him. The party was still raging on inside the house, with music, shouts, and stomping of feet muffled by the walls separating them. Outside, the night was very still, almost completely silent aside from the occasional movement of an animal.

"Do you know what Jinchuuriki are?" Kurama asked after a moment.

The boy shook his head.

"Their containers for the nine bijuu. It literally translates to the 'power of human sacrifice'." He leaned back on his hands and looked at the sky for a moment. "Both Naruto and I are the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi no Kitsune. His power was split in half by the Fourth Hokage and sealed inside of us."

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but Kurama shushed him with a wave of his hand without look away from the sky above him.

"Let me finish." He said calmly, hoping his voice didn't shake when he felt the sudden addition to their little group. "Naruto's a normal jinchuuriki, or at least as normal as it gets, but I'm a little different. For some reason, I was born without any chakra at all. The Hokage said that I had chakra coils, but simply no chakra. I wouldn't have died within hours, but the Fourth Hokage decided to do something daring. While sealing half of the Kyuubi inside of me, he allowed a small trickle of the Kyuubi's to settle into my chakra coils to work as a substitute for my own lack of chakra. Don't ask me how he did it. I don't think even the Hokage knows, it was apparently some really advanced seal work done by him off of the top of his head when he noticed my condition. In any case, the…demon was sealed and I got to live another day."

He paused for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.

"But, even with most of the Kyuubi's chakra sealed I'm still a lot more connected to…it than, say Naruto since I use its chakra like it's my own." He hesitated again. "The truth is, even the thought of the sharingan makes me shiver, even before we learned about it in the academy. I didn't really understand it and I still don't, but something inside of me always screamed not to look a Uchiha in the eye. It was one thing in the academy when we barely knew each other, but I didn't mention or even try to change it when we became teammates…and I'm sorry."

He tore his eyes away from the stars and looked Sasuke in the eye again. It was getting easier with each time, but he wasn't sure it would ever be natural. Sasuke stared back at him.

"So, you're telling me that this whole time I was worried over you not meeting my eyes…it was all because of a feeling?"

Well. That certainly wasn't what he was expecting from him.

"That amount of incredulous isn't necessary." He folded his arms over his chest defensively.

"It definitely is!" Sasuke scowled back at him. "A feeling! Really?! This whole time I worried about it, trying to wrap my mind around a possible reason and it was a damn _feeling_ from some shitty demon sealed inside you…."

"The Kyuubi…" Kurama started.

"I don't care about the damn demon!" Sasuke replied heatedly. "You have a demon in you. So what? What I care about is the fact that you wouldn't meet my eyes for years over a damn _feeling_!"

"I…" He really didn't have a response for that. He couldn't justify his response because the boy didn't know half the story. He sighed instead. "I truly am sorry. It was stupid of me. I should have talked to someone about it or better yet just ignored it completely."

Sasuke huffed, calming down slightly. "Fine. I accept your apology, idiot."

Naruto burst out laughing and tugged them both into a tight hug.

"Awesome! Now that we've cleared the air we can get onto being the best team ever!" Sasuke attempted to break the boys hold, while Kurama just rolled his eyes and relaxed. "I'll become Hokage! Sasuke will kill the jerk who killed his clan and Natsuki will…"

Blue eyes turned to him as he trailed off. "Wait…what was your goal again, Natsu?"

_(Freedom.)_

Kurama looked between Naruto and the still struggling Sasuke and smirked. "Well someone has to keep you two from getting killed…"

"That's rich coming from you!" Sasuke snapped with a scowl as he stopped struggling to glare at him.

Their eyes met briefly and suddenly the three of them were laughing helplessly still entangled in Naruto's arms.

*

Kakashi watched his team chatting brightly as they walked down the path back home. A little over two weeks after leaving for the C-Rank and the team was closer than ever before. Even if the mission wasn't what he had been expecting when he chose it, he was content with the results. There were a few close calls everything seemed to work out in the end. No serious injuries or major traumatic experiences and his students were more determined than ever to get stronger as a team as well as individual shinobi.

They were close to Konoha now and everyone was in high spirits. He chuckled as Naruto took a swipe at Sasuke, only to get a whack on the back of the head from his brother. Sasuke smirked and said something, most likely taunting the blond. He received a smack as well. He watched as Naruto and Sasuke made a silent agreement with a single glance before they both pounced on Natsuki. Or at least they tried too, Natsuki darted forward quickly making them run into each other and leaped into the trees with a laugh. The other two took off after him growling out playful banter.

Kakashi chuckled to himself as he leaped into the trees to follow them.

His eyes settled on the orange haired Jinchuuriki's back and his laughter faded away slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I left this explanation on FF, so I figured I'd give you guys a condensed version here as well to explain why the fight went the way it did. Basically, I planned on a bigger fight but realized that Zabuza and Haku are from a village with not one but two jinchuuriki. Not only that but, Zabuza himself tried to assassinate one of those jinchuuriki during his coup. Which made him not recognizing at least somethings was up with Naruto's original break-down in cannon very odd to me. It's little things like this that I call reconning holes, where the original story/episodes don't exactly line up with future revelations. So, I decided to forgo a big fight for a smaller one that included the newer revelations in the Shippuuden. (I've done something similar with hints and mentions of Danzo and his Root throughout the story to establish him a bit more as a big (and very bad) influence on Konoha) 
> 
> Ok! So this is the end of my prewritten chapters. I'm still not done with seventeen, but I'll have it up tomorrow. I'll also be uploading my other stories from FF to here as well.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the chunin arc begin!

"Maybe we should just get a couple of futons." His brother muttered as he looking over the measurements of their rooms and the bed frame in front of him. "That'd be easier than trying to find two smaller beds or one giant bed to fit in our room."

Naruto pouted. "No way, we have the money from two A-rank missions and all the other D-ranks and we've only bought a couch and the bare minimum groceries. I want a good bed, Natsu! We have the money!"

Natsu sighed and ran his hand through his hair, which was out of its usual braid for once. "I know, but our apartment is really small, I'm not sure we have fit any of the good beds."

Naruto scowled at the store around them. He didn't like it, but his brother had a point. "Well, maybe we should just move. Our apartment's a dump anyway."

His brother blinked at him for a moment before looking down at the notebook in his hand with their room's measurements and their budget. "Actually, we have enough to pay for the initial fees, moving expenses and a couple month's rent depending on the place we pick and how expensive it is. As long as we keep up with our missions and manage our budget properly, it shouldn't be a problem to rent a better place with more room. Enough room to actually fit two beds…"

They stared at one another for a moment before Naruto broke out into a huge grin as he processed the possibilities. "That'd be awesome Natsu! Do you think we can afford that new one over on the other side of the marketplace? Did you see how tall it was? You think we could get an apartment on the top floor? I wonder how much it is, you know? How do you even find a new apartment? Do we just walk in and ask if we can rent one, you know?"

Natsuki smiled and shook his head. "Don't look at me. I know just as much as you do about renting an apartment, maybe we should ask Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei before we start. They probably know a lot more about it than we do and can help us find a place in a good area. I bet Iruka-sensei would jump on getting us out of our apartment. He's been clucking at it like a mother hen for years."

Naruto laughed, remembering all the times Iruka-sensei chewed out their landlord for not doing his job and fixing their appliances when they broke. "I wonder if there is an apartment we can rent in his building?"

He would love to live closer to his favorite sensei, ever since they became genin they hadn't been able to spend as much time with him. They had just got back from their C-rank turned A-rank a couple of days ago, but they hadn't seen the man aside from having ramen with him and their team the first night they got back. A thought crossed his mind.

"Do you know where Sasuke lives or Kakashi-sensei?"

Natsu laughed. "I don't think Sasuke would want to live in the same district as us, much less the same apartment building."

"True, true. But what about Kakashi-sensei? He's a jounin, you think he has an apartment or a house? Remember what the Hokage said about Kakashi-sensei completely a bunch of A-rank missions when we got back? I bet he's rich enough to have a house."

"Maybe," Natsu replied evenly. "But, I don't think he's the type to spend more money than absolutely necessary. Come on. Kakashi-sensei told us we had a team meeting at noon and it's 11:45 now."

Naruto followed his brother out of the furniture store and onto the roofs to run towards their destination. It was always a gamble whether their sensei would be there on time, excessively late or on time but hiding. Naruto thought that they shouldn't worry about the time and whether they were late if their sensei obviously didn't. However, Natsu said that it was a matter of principle. Naruto himself didn't understand what he meant by that but went along with it.

Then again he didn't always understand Natsu very well.

He frowned at his brother's back trying not to let his emotions give away the twisting in his gut. He had been learning more and more lately that there was a lot of things he didn't understand about his brother despite spending every day with him since they were born. Like how he knew their sensei so well or his hesitation with Sasuke and the Sharingan.

_And,_ he shivered slightly, _the whole affair at the bridge when Natsuki lost control of the Kyuubi._

He knew he didn't understand a lot of things, but if his brother talked to him about it maybe he could.

He caught sight of their meeting spot ahead and tried to turn his thoughts to something happier. He didn't know why his brother wouldn't talk to him about some things, but he'd do his best to be supportive and try to get him to open up.

For now, however….

He sped up and ran ahead of his brother, laughing at the way his brother's hair got in his face when Naruto accidentally created a breeze while passing him. For now, he'd nag Sasuke about where he lived and try to make his brother smile as much as possible.

"Hey, Sasuke! We're thinking about moving out of our apartment, where do you live?!" He bellowed as he landed on top of one of the arches on the bridge they were meeting at.

"Like hell, I'd tell you that. I don't want you idiots living anywhere near me!"

Natsuki laughed as he landed next to Naruto briefly before flipping to the ground gracefully. "Told you, Naruto."

Naruto grinned and jumped onto the bridge as well, though considerably less graceful much to his chagrin. "Aw, come on Sasuke don't be like that. Don't you love us?"

"No." The dark haired boy replied immediately his arms folded across his chest.

Naruto exchanged glances with his brother. Natsuki got the memo and slid slightly behind the other boy, out of his line of site. When Naruto dove forward, Natsuki snagged Sasuke's arms so Naruto could pull him into a headlock without getting his ass kicked by an irate Uchiha.

"Come on!" He grinned and ruffled his hair roughly. "You know you love us. Just admit it."

Sasuke struggled against them fiercely, but Natsuki had his arms secured behind his back. He tilted his head and gave Naruto a baleful glare. "Never."

Naruto pouted until his brother piped up in his usually bland and slightly condescending tone.

"That wasn't a contradiction. He just said he would never say he loves us, not that he didn't love us. So by that logic, he does love us, but refuses to admit it."

"I think I liked you better when you refused to look me in the eye."

Sasuke's glare could probably burn a man alive, but Naruto ignored it gleefully as he released the dark haired boy. A roundabout omission was still an omission after all. Sasuke immediately leapt at them hands in fists, but they dodge the half-heart attack easily. Surprisingly, however, instead of continuing their play fight like usual Sasuke rolled his eyes and rubbed his shoulder.

"How do you idiots even do that? You didn't say anything."

Naruto almost didn't catch the mutter. He glanced at Natsu to see what he thought only to be startled by Sasuke's wide gesture between them.

"That." He scowled at Naruto's obvious confusion. "How do you understand each other with just a glance? Is it a twin thing? You don't change expressions or tense up. You just glance at each other and then act. It's creepy."

Naruto blinked and unconsciously glanced at his brother again. Natsu looked amused.

"Is that jealousy I sense Uchiha?" Natsu said slyly. "Do you want to communicate silently with us too?"

"That a great idea!" Kakashi-sensei butted in cheerfully making Naruto jump and spun around.

His sensei was sitting on the arch with his little orange book open like he had been there the whole time.

"When did he get here?" Sasuke muttered.

"He's been here the whole time," Natsu responded blandly.

So apparently it was an arrive on time but hide day.

"Give us some warning then Natsu!" Naruto cried out, but his brother just smiled at him.

"Ahm." Their sensei cough slightly and continued when he saw he gained their attention. "Like I was saying. Silent communication is very important for shinobi since we focus heavily on teamwork. Sometimes your premade plans don't fit the situation and you can't talk to each other to strategize a new plan. I'm glad this was brought up! I was just going to make you guys do D-rank missions today, but this sounds more fun."

"What sounds more fun?" Sasuke questioned suspiciously.

Kakashi-sensei leaned forward, his eye curving ominously. Naruto took a step towards his brother as he felt a shiver go down his spine.

"So, my cute little genin. Let's play a game."

*

Sakura scowled at the post in front of her panting heavily. It was a struggle to move her arms up into a fight position, but she forced herself to do it. She shifted her stance, channeled her chakra and struck the post again. It shook slightly. The place where she struck was dented about an inch deep. She nearly grinned before he noticed the trace of blood and cursed under her breath as she looked down at her right hand.

Blood was speckling through the bandages meant to protect her knuckles.

"It's six in the morning. Our training doesn't start until another hour, what are you doing here Sakura-chan?" She jumped as her sensei appeared beside her seemingly out of nowhere. She would never understand how a man who coughed more than he talked could be as sneaky as him.

She blushed and tried to hide her hands behind her back, but her sensei only raise his eyebrow at her and held out his own hands expectantly. She sighed and held out her hands for his inspection.

He unwound the bandages around her knuckles slowly, hesitating slightly every time she winced. "You know when I taught you guys the tree walking technique I didn't expect you expand on it in this way."

Sakura looked away from her now free hands. They really were disgusting to look at. Bruised, scraped, swollen and bleeding. Then again, she should have expected as much when she had woken at four this morning with the idea and nearly ran over to the training grounds to try and implement it. After an hour she had to wrap her hands, but that didn't stop her from continuing despite the pain. Now that she got a good look at the result, however, she figured she must have gone overboard.

Gekkō-sensei sighed as he examined her hands carefully. "How'd you come up with the idea?"

"Um, well. I noticed yesterday that Hasegawa was still having trouble with the whole tree walking thing, especially when he got too mad. He'd put too much chakra into it and would suddenly be launched off of the tree and the tree itself would break a little. I woke up, with a thought that I could probably do the same thing with punches to…make me stronger…" She trailed off slowly looking at her feet.

"Is this about Hasegawa-kun's teasing yesterday?"

"I know he was just upset he was still having trouble with it and I mastered it immediately, but…" She hesitated. "It's still true. Even though I'm better with chakra control, I still suck at sparing because I'm physically weaker than them. I haven't won a single match!"

"I see." Gekkō-sensei coughed softly before his hands were engulfed in a green glow. Sakura watched with wide eyes as her hands slowly started to heal. He noticed her awe and smile softly. "I'm no med-nin, but I've been taught the basics just in case. It's a good thing you didn't break anything or I'd have to take you to the hospital."

Sakura nodded slowly and flexed her hands once he released them. Her knuckles still had some bruises, but they were lighter and the scratches and swelling were gone.

"Now about this whole business." He broke off coughing for a moment before continuing. "It's well and good that you recognize your own weakness and are working to correct them, but you can't just work yourself into an injury like this. You should have just told me about your idea and I would have helped you practice it in a more productive way than smashing your fists against a wooden post with varying chakra outputs to see what worked. This type of fighting style requires precision chakra control and can result in some serious injuries if done incorrectly."

"Fighting style?" Sakura perked up. She had figured that her idea had been done before, but the library wasn't open when she woke up this morning so she couldn't check.

Her sensei gave her an indulgent smile. "Yes, quite a few jounin and even chunin with good control channel their chakra during battles to strengthen their attacks beyond their physical limit. However, one woman took this idea and truly made it her own. I think your first step should be looking her up and reading what we have in the library about Tsunade Senju. I'll get you some reinforced gloves for practice and we'll move on from there."

Sakura grinned widely at him.

"However, as punishment for working yourself to injury, you'll have to participate in all of the activities today despite your tiredness now."

She deflated, her arms were already so sore. How was she going to manage training?

Her sensei chuckle and put his hand on her head. "Participate, but don't overdo it. I have several D-rank missions lined up for you guys. You can rely on your teammates, Sakura-chan. There's no shame in admitting you can't do certain things when it would hurt to do it. Hasegawa may be crude and overly gruff at times, but he won't let you down when you need it. Nor will Kenta-kun."

Sakura spent the next hour listening to her sensei's quiet lecture on chakra control and the dangers of overusing one's chakra coils silently. The rest of her team arrived with large yawns and sleepy eyes. Sakura would have smirked if she didn't feel as exhausted as they looked. It was going to be a long day.

"Alright team." Gekkō-sensei began. "We'll be doing some more D-rank missions today."

Sakura grimaced down at her feet as their client lectured them on what type of plants he wanted pulled from his garden and what type he wanted them to leave alone.

"And once you're done with that I want you to rake the yard and clean out my gutters! Got that?"

"Yes, sir." They chorused.

The old man huffed. "Well, at least you kids have some manners. The last genin team I hired was a mess. That Hyuuga boy was so rude and the weirdly dressed one tore up my yard in his excitement. The only decent one of the group was that girl!"

He went to stomp off before turning and eying them one last time. "Don't ruin my yard."

"Yes, sir." They chorused again.

They made their way over to the gardening beds to start the weeding. Sakura hesitated as her teammates knelt and began to look over what that needed to pull out.

"Um!" She started, then bit her lip.

Hasegawa glanced at her. "Out with it."

Kenta smacked him on the back of the head. "What's wrong Sakura-chan?"

"Well, I woke up early and I kind of over did it with training this morning." She held out her hands automatically as proof even though there were only some faint bruises now. "Um, my arms are really sore. I'm still going to help! But, I might be a little slower today…"

She looked at her feet.

"Ok."

She blinked and looked up at Hasegawa. He was starting to pull out the weeds near him. Kenta smiled at her.

"It's okay Sakura-chan. I can't tell you how many times Chou got chewed out by his mom for overworking himself. Just do what you can."

"Stop calling me that," Hasegawa scowled while sending them both a glare, before turning back to his work with a nearly inaudible. "Sorry for yesterday."

Leaning on the side of the client's house their sensei was smiling faintly at them.

Sakura felt a smile touch her lips. "Ok!"

After finishing several different clients lawns and finding a lost dog they went back to their usual training ground for lunch when three familiar shapes came rushing out of the trees looking worse for wear.

"Sasuke!" She shouted, standing automatically. "…and Natsuki and Naruto."

"What the hell are you lot doing here?" Hasegawa scowled in annoyance from his spot lounging in the grass.

She looked the three over. They looked a bit roughed up with messy hair and torn clothing, but what really caught her eye was the tags slapped over their mouths with a strange looking seal. The boys stopped looking around and approached them. Naruto was gesturing wildly while Natsuki and Sasuke just looked vaguely pained.

"Is that silencing seals?" Her sensei asked in an amused tone.

"Silencing seals?" She couldn't help but ask.

Gekkō-sensei coughed. "We tend to use them on prisoners. You just slap them over their mouths if they're being too loud."

"Oh!" She turned to her crush. "D-do you want me to take that off, Sasuke?"

"Bleh, she'd gone all girly again," Hasegawa muttered.

Sakura smacked him on the back of the head waiting. Sasuke simply shrugged and shook his head, looking annoyed.

"Leave it to a clan kid not to want any help." Hasegawa rolled his eyes, Sakura wanted to smack him again. Sasuke wasn't like that!

"No, I don't think that's it Hasegawa-kun." Their sensei replied in an amused voice. "That seal looks a little different than the ones I've used before. Was it altered to only allow the person who put it on you to remove it?"

All three boys nodded. Natsuki stepped forward, and Sakura nearly laughed when she caught sight of the state of his hair. She was fairly certain there was a branch stuck in there with a few leaves still on it. She tried to focus when he started gesturing slowly. He pointed at Naruto who had pulled his headband over his left eye and pulled his shirt up to cover his mouth. Then he gestured to his eyes and pointed at Naruto again.

"What."

For once Sakura was in complete agreement with Hasegawa. She turned to her sensei, but he waved her off.

"Think of this as another exercise." He coughed into his hand. "Figure out what they're trying to ask and answer the question."

The trio of boys gave her sensei a collectively pained look before turning to them. Natsuki gestured again to Naruto and then to his eyes and pointing at them.

"If you're asking if you brother looks funny, then the answer is yes," Hasegawa replied looking unimpressed.

The orange haired boy just shook his head and rolled his eyes before turning to Sasuke who just shrugged unhelpfully. Natsuki tried again, but her teammates just didn't get it. Finally, Sasuke stepped forward and tried a couple of clumsy hand signs before pointing to Naruto. They looked vaguely familiar, but Sakura couldn't quite place them. Her teammate, however, recognized them immediately.

Kenta's eyes lit up. "Oh, those are some shinobi hand signs! My dad taught me a few of those when I was a kid."

"So, what's he sayin'?" Hasegawa asked still frowning at the three.

Sasuke repeated the signs.

"Uh, target, searching…"Kenta blinked. "Oh! They're looking for a guy that looks like Naruto?"

Natsuki shook his head and pointed to Naruto's headband and shirt.

"They're looking for a guy that wears his headband over his left eye and covers his nose and mouth?" Sakura questioned.

The boys all nodded.

"Well, we haven't seen him," Hasegawa answered. "Is he the guys who stuck those seals on your mouths?"

They nodded again looking disappointed. Naruto waved his hand at Sasuke who flipped him off in return before Natsuki gestured sharply to both of them. Sasuke pointed towards the city and the other boys nodded. Naruto and Sasuke took off immediately, but Natsuki stayed behind and bowed slightly spreading his hands out in silent thanks before taking off after his teammates.

"Well, that was weird." Was Hasegawa's only comment on the matter.

Sakura couldn't help but agree.

What kind of training were they doing?

*

Hayate sighed heavily as he went over the paperwork again. He had been working on the packet since he had gotten home from the meeting with the Hokage and other sensei's three hours ago. As much as he wanted his team to get some experience with the chunin exam the amount of paperwork that involved putting a team through the exam was nightmarish. He had thought the other instructors were joking, but apparently, they were dead serious. He ran his hand through his hair for the fifth time and marked down some more answers.

"So, you're allowing them to participate?" Yūgao placed a cup of tea on the table beside him as she pulled out her chair and settled down.

"We've finally gotten our defenses sorted out after the Kyuubi and Uchiha incidences which has allowed us to host it here, so I think this is the best time to allow them to try it. They have gotten better these past several weeks." He took a sip of the tea despite the heat. "I think this is a good chance to allow them to see how far they need to go in a relatively safe environment."

"It should be a good experience for them." Yūgao laughed. "I remember my first chunin exam. It was an utter disaster, but I did learn quite a bit. Same with the second…and the third though that wasn't my fault."

"Was it the time you're teammate got poisoned and spent the rest of the exam in the hospital?"

She nodded. "Yeah, at the time I was so pissed, but looking back on it I'm glad he lived through it."

Hayate smirked. "It's surprising they even chose you for Anbu."

She made face at him. "Shut-up, mister, not everyone is as good as you are. Some of us have to work for it."

He laughed, but it turned into a cough halfway through. Yūgao frown at him.

"I really wish you'd get that checked out."

"I have." He sighed. "There's nothing they can do for me. I'd have to go outside the village for treatment and that's always a hassle for everyone involved. It's not like I'm dying, so I'll just have to wait and see if the doctors ever come up with something."

She scowled tracing her fingers over the grooves of the table. He knew she'd worry over this endlessly, so he changed the subject.

"So what has the Hokage order for defense with the chunin exam?"

She rolled her eyes at his blatant topic changing but answered anyway. "The usual for foreign shinobi in the village. Keep an eye on them and an ear to the ground for any suspicious activities or rumors. Our patrols have been upped in frequency and number of squads."

"Hm," He flipped the page over only to find another form he needed to read and sign. "Any suspicious activity as of yet? Who has arrived?"

"Honestly, you have a team. Didn't anyone tell you that you're exempt from defense duty when you're a genin sensei?"

"I'll be exempt when I die," Hayate muttered back, narrowing his eyes at the rest of the stack.

"You're hopeless." Yūgao sighed and stole a sip of tea from his cup. "The Suna shinobi will be arriving today. Probably a bit later than expected, they sent a message claiming to be delayed though they didn't say why. They got the Kazekage's kids with them, though so I don't think they'll be trying anything funny with us while they're here. But…"

Hayate glanced up at her hesitation. "What is it?"

"It's nothing really…It's just that the youngest one rubs me the wrong way." Yugao stared out the window. "There are rumors about him claiming he's a bit…off."

Hayate frowned. "Off?"

"Hm, yeah."

She stood up suddenly.

"It could be nothing. You know how Anbu like to over embellish things when their bored or drunk. Anyway, I have patrol duties tonight, so I should get at least some sleep in before I have to leave." She dropped a kiss on his head as she passed him. "Don't let the paperwork eat you, alright?"

"Hm,"Hayate rolled his eyes at her back before turning back to the last sheet. "Over embellish? Perhaps. Though, I still have to wonder if that one rumor really is true about the Kazekage's youngest son…"

*

Kurama sighed and glanced over the apartment catalogs laid out on the table in front of him, his sensei had apparently managed to snag while leading them on a merry chase around the village. Then again they had been chasing him for four hours till they cornered him after he came out of a meeting with the Hokage and the other genin instructors, so there was a large possibility he had managed to grab the catalogs one of the many times they lost track of him.

Kurama frowned and glanced at the window that he had trapped with some of Naruto's supplies out of spite.

"Hey, Natsu?"

He glanced over at his brother, who was hesitating in the doorway of their bedroom. "Yes, Naruto?"

"Well, um, I just wanted to say if you wanted to talk to me then I'll listen." Naruto waved his hands aimlessly. "I mean, you know, anything that's bothering you…"

Ah, he should have seen this coming. Kurama shifted his chair to look at Naruto fully. "Is this about the whole incident with Sasuke and me not feeling comfortable with Uchiha's?"

Naruto nodded slowly and bit his lip. "I just don't get why ya didn't tell me, you know? I could have helped you, you know. I could have told you that it was just a silly fear from the demon."

_(Silly? The horrid eyes that control him, that subjugated him, that led to his imprisonment was silly? No. No, no, no.)_

Kurama couldn't help the way he tensed, but he tried to keep his expression neutral.

"Naruto-"

"No. Natsuki, this is important." Naruto pulled away from the doorway to stand in front of him. Kurama, still sitting, looked up into the boys surprisingly serious eyes. "I've been thinking about this since that night. We can't keep things like that from each other, you know? We're…we're jinchuuriki and both of us has lost control before. I've been trying real hard not to give into that damn demon and I want to make sure you don't either. I knew something was up with you and Sasuke, but I didn't know what. Ya gotta talk to me, you know."

_"Wh-what do you m-mean N-Natsu? Wh-what are you saying?!" Fearful blue eyes met his own. "You think…you're saying that we have a…a monster inside of us? A-A demon that almost d-destroyed the village?"_

"I…" Kurama shifted his eyes away.

_(How could he possibly explain to Naruto that he was the damn demon? The damn demon who killed countless other people and nearly destroyed Konoha. The damn demon who was the reason that Naruto grew up hated and without parents.)_

Naruto seemed to sense turmoil because he leaned over and hugged him tightly.

"Natsu, no matter what it is I'll listen, ok?" Naruto whispered. "No matter what you're still my little brother. You seem so sad sometimes Natsu, I just want to help you."

_You…you softhearted knucklehead._ Kurama smiled ruefully. _Honestly, you are too kind for your own good._

_"Is, that is…did the demon kill our parents, do you think? The Hokage always said our parents died that night…do you think…"_

He flinched and bit his lip. Naruto claimed that he'd love him not matter not, but how could he? After all that Kurama's done under the Sharingan and of his own free will when he blindly attempted to prevent his resealing. How could he actually tell Naruto to his face that he was the one who killed his parents? He killed Iruka's parents among so many others.

_(I'm sorry, Naruto. You're brother's a coward.)_

"I'm sorry Naruto. Thank you, but…not right now. I'll talk, eventually, I promise…but just," He took a breath. "Give me a little time, ok?"

Naruto looked at him for a long moment before replying cheerfully. "Ok Natsu! I'll give you time, I just wanted to let you know that I'll always be here for ya, you know?"

Kurama nearly winced trying to ignore the stabbing guilt welling up from making his brother fake a smile like that. He gave Naruto a weak smile.

"I know Naruto."

I swear I tell you eventually His gaze shifted over the window as Naruto walked stiffly back to their room. Just give me time.

He stood to go to the roof and stare at the stars for a few hours but was nearly sent to his knees as a sudden wave of chakra touched on the edges of his senses.

He froze.

It raged and swirled violently. With the chakra, he could feel the emotions that came with it. Rage and insanity intermixed into a high pitch, wordless scream. It almost felt like a physical force.

It was familiar.

Too familiar.

_Shukaku?_

Kurama noticed vaguely that he was trembling.

_This wasn't good._

*

***Extra***

Genma was laughing so hard it was a shock that the senbon didn't fall out of his mouth. They stood there waiting for the jounin to calm down looking varying degrees of disgruntled. Sasuke looked like he wanted to set the man's face on fire, while Naruto had his arms folded over his chest. Kurama could tell he was pouting even with the tag over his mouth. Kurama, himself, tried not to glare to harshly.

"So, heh, let me get this straight." Genma chuckled finally. "You're sensei put those seals on and ran off. So, now you're trying to find him, to get him to take them off?"

They nodded.

He looked over them again and visibly suppressed another bout of laughter.

Kurama scowled. Kakashi had lured them through the busiest streets and the thickest foliage during their chase. He knew that they looked like a mess, but the man didn't have to laugh so much.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you that Kakashi is in a meeting with the Hokage right now. He probably won't get out of there for a little while. You guys can wait out in front of the tower though! Heh..."

They waited half an hour before catching sight of Kakashi-sensei, nearly tackling him in front of all of the other jounin walking out with him. Pestering him silently with several silent insults and curses they managed to pick up from various shinobi throughout the day, until he took the seals off and sent them home to get cleaned up.

*

*  
 **Preview**

_Kakashi watched the boy silently. His eyes were that familiar dark purple with no hints of that demonic red. They were crinkled slightly at the edges as he smiled at his brother's antics. He looked so much like a normal child. But..._

_He shook his head._

_No._

_He was being ridiculous._

_(Yet, ever since the battle at the bridge, his gut was telling him that there was something off. Something was wrong. And his gut had never been wrong before.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are at the start of the chunin exams! I adjusted the arrival of Gaara a little, so don't worry the meeting will occur next chapter! I actually had this chapter finished yesterday, but I tinkered with it some more today. There were a lot of little things I wanted to set up for this arc that took some rewriting. I have had so many ideas for this arc and have even typed out a bunch of scenes. The Hayate scene this chapter has actually been done for months, lol. This weekend I even wrote out a complete outline for each chapter and have really ironed out how I want it to end. I've had a vague idea since around chapter seven and have been dropping hints for several chapters now. We'll see if anyone picks up on it. Let's just say, shits goin' down this arc.


	18. Chapter 18

"I thought we were meeting at noon. Did something change?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head as dark eyes stared at him critically. He never knew how to deal with the Uchiha's. He didn't interact with really anyone positively before that mission and after he was treated with hostility and fear by the clan as a whole. Not that he blamed them. Another person carrying your clans prized kekkei genkai was a terrifying thought for any clan. He could, in retrospect, understand why they demanded he relinquish it then cut all ties with him when he didn't.

"We need to talk." He finally spoke. He knew that the boy must have been trying to wrap his mind around his sensei having the sharingan and he needed to correct any misconceptions or suspicions before they became dangerous.

Sasuke frowned, but stepped aside and allowed him into his apartment. Kakashi glanced around briefly, noting how bare the place was. The entrance led directing into the living room which had a couch and two chairs. As he settling on leaning against the far window instead of sitting on the couch Sasuke gestured towards, he noticed an immaculate kitchen off to his right. He was sure if the door to the boy's bedroom was open he'd seen the same neat organization that belonged more in a magazine than in a lived-in home.

Sasuke was standing by the couch scowling, but Kakashi could tell by the way his arms were folded over his chest that he was nervous. He wondered if that uncertainty was what prevent the boy from talking to him despite Kakashi giving him plenty of opportunities since they completed their mission in Wave. He scratched the back of his head again. He probably should have come here knowing what he was going to say.

"You probably have some questions. About the sharingan and why I have it." He started.

The boy nodded jerkily, but he didn't say anything. Kakashi sighed and wondered vaguely if Fugaku had scared his youngest son with stories of kekkei genkai thieves specifically because of him or it was a common warning for any of the Uchiha children.

"I didn't steal it. If that's what you're worried about." He started. He really didn't want to talk about this, but if it would ease his genin's fears he supposed he had too as his jounin instructor. "I was on a team with an Uchiha, Uchiha Obito. We had a mission during that last war that I was in charge of since our sensei was called to the front lines. During that mission, our other teammate was kidnapped…"

He tilted his head to look out the window as he sighed. " _'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash! If I'm going to be called trash either way, I'd rather break the rules! And if that somehow makes me anything less than a real shinobi, then I'll crush all of the so-called "real" shinobi!'._ The words I told your team that day were told to me by him as he tried to convince me to abandon our mission in order to save our teammate. I rejected his words out right since I was a little shit at that time in my life, but eventually, they got to me and I joined him in his rescue attempt. During our fight I got slashed across my eye, losing my sight instantly. Despite that, we managed to get to our teammate, but her captors collapse the cave she was being held in retaliation. Obito…he shoved me out of the way of the falling rocks and was pinned himself. As he was dying he told our teammate, a medic, to transfer his eye to mine."

He stopped and glanced at the boy as he processed the story.

"But," Sasuke started slowly. "Why would he give you his sharingan? That's…its the Uchiha's birthright."

"Obito didn't care much for birthrights, he was a bit estranged from the clan. He was a late bloomer when it came to the sharingan. In fact, he didn't actually activate it until that mission and from what I saw the clan looked down on him for it."

Sasuke continued to frown, but he didn't ask any more questions so Kakashi took that as his cue to leave. He pushed himself away from the window.

"It just wanted to tell you the truth, Sasuke. What you take from that story is up to you." He walked over to the door. "We're still meeting at noon. Take the next several hours to think it over."

He stopped just short of opening the door when the boy's hesitant voice caught his attention.

"That's why you make us focus so much on teamwork…because of what happened during that mission…"

Kakashi gave a little half-shrug, but he didn't deny it. "When I got you guys as my genin team I swore that I wouldn't let you end up like mine did."

He went straight to the memorial afterward.

"I'm about to… die… but I'll become your eye… and see the future with you."

He sighed. "I hope that was okay. I don't know what I'm doing, Obito. But, they seemed to have turned out fine, so far."

He stayed there for the remained hours, his mind going over his genin's strengths and weaknesses and trying to predict how well they'd do with the chunin exam coming up. As it got closer to their meeting time eyes roved over familiar names one last time before he left to meet with his genin.

Hours later Kakashi found himself watching his student struggle, making sure to show up just long enough to give them hope before disappearing again and leaving them to trying and track where he could have gone. He had learned the limits of Natsuki's empathy and chakra sensing range through repeated testing since they had passed the bell test and used that knowledge to its fullest, by driving the boy up the wall by flaring his chakra just on the edge of his range before suppressing it again.

It would be a deadly skill once the boy managed to work through the holes he mussed as he watched them run through a crowded street chasing a clone of himself that was strolling nonchalantly down the road. However, Kakashi noticed that the boy was easily overwhelmed by large groups of people and the intensity of emotions. His range was much better when they had been traveling and could usually tell when he was looking at a clone versus the real thing.

He'd have to run them through similar activities to help him learn how to track one person in a group of people once the chunin exams were over.

However, despite the flaws in Natsuki's sensory ability he couldn't find fault with the team overall. They stayed together and worked together. When his clone disappeared, they combined their knowledge of nonverbal communication, as feeble as it was, to communicate their situation to passing shinobi.

He felt a grim satisfaction wash over him at the sight. Even if he didn't know what he was doing half the time he seemed to have gotten teamwork through to them.

_They're not going to turn out like us, Obito. I'll make sure of it._

_(He decidedly ignored the uncomfortable feeling of suspicion welling up inside him every time he looked into dark purple eyes. He was able to ignore and push it to the back of his mind for the most part, but every time he caught sight of those eyes his mind spun through his disjointed observations once more. An aversion to the sharingan made sense on the surface, but he had long since learned to look beneath calm waters to the storm brewing beneath.)_

He shook his mind free of those thoughts and turned his attention back to his students.

He watched as Raidō tried to hold back his laughter at Naruto's impression of him. The man glanced around and spotted his perched on top of a building. Kakashi gave a little salute before leaving the area with a swirl of leaves as soon as his little genin tried to turn to see where Raidō was looking.

He glanced up at the sky. He was fashionably late to the meeting with the Hokage, so he changed course and made his way to the tower. He entered through a hallway window before slipping into the larger debriefing room and into his designated spot as a jounin instructor as the Hokage was finishing his spiel about the village's defense and warning against provoking an attack with other village's shinobi, regardless of personal history or perceived slights. His eyes focused on several of the more hot-headed jounin and chunin in the room.

He glanced over and saw the academy instructors and administrators lined up to the side. Although it was ultimately the jounin instructor's choice, the academy instructors were allowed to speak up if they disagreed with the jounin instructor's decision to allow their team to participate in the chunin exams or not. Jounin and chunin not on patrol or on medical leave were lined up behind them.

It was amusing to think about how he used to be back there reading one of his novels as he listened with half an ear to which jounin instructor nominated their genin.

Now it was his turn.

Kurenai shot him a look when he slid next to her but didn't say anything. Everyone was used to his perpetual tardiness by now and only a few still seriously complain. After all, he still showed up on time for important things; mostly.

"Now to move onto what we've all be waiting for, the jounin instructor's decision for our genin representatives this chunin exam. As many of us know our first chunin exam often defines us and our future as shinobi. I'm sure all of you have thought critically about this decision and have reached a decision based on your team's skill level. Kakashi, you begin."

His lips twisted into a small smile.

"I, Hatake Kakashi, leader of Team Seven which includes Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uzumaki Natsuki have decided that my students will participate in the chunin exams."

After waiting the allotted few seconds for any protest from the academy teachers, the Hokage nodded with a satisfied look. "May your team succeed, Sensei Hatake. Kurenai?"

Kakashi smirked as the woman muttered a soft "show off" under her breath before she too gave permission for her students to take the exam. He lifted an eyebrow as everyone else also gave permission for their genin teams to participate as well. Kurenai saw his look and rolled her eyes.

"If it was out of the village I wouldn't let them anywhere near the exams at their level, but since it's being held here I figured I'd give them a taste of what's expected." She murmured softly as Hayate gave his permission. "I'm sure everyone else thinks the same."

He hummed in response.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Umino frowning slightly, but he didn't interrupt Hayate, nor did any of the academy administrators. Kakashi wasn't very surprised at the administrators, after the stunt they tried to pull with the youngest Uzumaki twin he was certain the Hokage gave them hell, but he was surprised that Umino hadn't spoken up yet. Judging solely by the amount of time spent as genin and number of missions completed, none of their teams should be even considered for the chunin exams. While he was assured that his team was prepared regardless, especially after their success and teamwork in during their C-rank turned A-rank mission, he was actually surprised that his peers decided to allow their teams to participate even after Kurenai's explanation. He could understand why Umino might be worried.

He watched as the man took a step forward and the Hokage signaled him to speak.

"Since all of these genin were my students I merely wanted to ask if all of you're certain your students are prepared for this step. They only just graduated and don't have the regular amount of experience that genin of our village typically had in the past and what other villages genin will have in this exam. It took a full year before my sensei allowed my team to participate."

There was a brief silence as they considered his position. Hayate spoke up first.

"I understand where you are coming from, Umino-san." He started slowly. "Honestly, I have the same worries. However, I believe that this will be a learning experience for my students. Konoha has the lowest death rate for the chunin exams. It, of course, doesn't make it less difficult, however. Realistically speaking our students won't get very far, but I think it would be better for them to experience their first exam it in a familiar and more importantly safer environment."

Kakashi couldn't help but add, "Don't speak for my students Hayate. I know my kids are going to do spectacularly. They'll give everyone a good show."

Asuma sent him an amused look while Kurenai rolled her eyes and Hayate sighed heavily. However, the tension melted out of Umino's shoulders as he nodded with a faint smile tugging at his lips.

With everything seemingly decided, the Hokage wrapped up the meeting with a summary of the rules and expectations of the jounin instructors, what villages were participating and handing out a packet of paperwork for each of their students. Kakashi grimaced at the three in his hand as he meandered out of the room with Asuma, Hayate, and Kurenai by his side.

"I was told that the paperwork was extensive for the chunin exam, but this is ridiculous," Hayate muttered.

Asuma chuckled. "At least it's being held here and we don't have to fill out the forms for leaving the village. Heard those were even worse."

"By the way, Kakashi." Kurenai started. "Why do you have apartment catalogs under your arm? Are you finally moving out that tiny room you call an apartment?"

"No, Naruto and Natsuki are considering moving. So, I picked up some catalogs for them while I was tor-training them this afternoon."

She narrowed her eyes. He could see the exact moment she decided not to even both touching on his obvious correction. "You're not just going to fling those at them and let them loose, are you? You're going to explain how it's done properly, right? They're only twelve so they probably don't know-"

"Oh look at that there's my genin now!"

He waved at his genin as they stormed up to him a flurrying of angry glares and quick hand signs. Asuma nearly choked one his cigarettes when he saw some of the signs while Kurenai's glare drilled into the side of his head for his lack of an answer.

"Oh, dear, who taught you those?" He ignored her and put on his best-shocked voice.

There was a flurry of several interesting combinations of signs that included general shinobi signs, a couple anbu signs and several rude gestures sprinkled in to convey their displeasure and threaten him.

_(He couldn't help but noticed a tinge of red in purple eyes that had previously been filed under an odd quirk but now help a more sinister quality to them.)_

"Well, it looks like you've learned how valuable nonverbal communication is! Wonderful!" He snatched the tags from their mouths with ease and dodging several punches and shoved the catalogs in Naruto's hands. "Good job today. Meet at the same spot at seven sharp tomorrow!"

With a swirl of leaves that he fled the scene just far enough to be out of Natsuki's sensory range, but still able to see them. Kurenai shot him a look, while Asuma looked thoroughly amused by the whole situation. He watched Naruto and Sasuke pout and bicker with one another for a few moments as Natsuki apologized to the jounin for the scene they caused. He followed them as they walked away from the tower and towards their homes.

He could tell Naruto was needling Sasuke again by the way the dark haired boy's shoulders hitched as he snapped out what was probably a sarcastic retort to whatever Naruto was saying. Apparently, he was dealing with their earlier conversation well enough to Kakashi's relief. He chuckled as the bickering turned into a small tussle. If he didn't know them better and hadn't seen the three train and fight, he probably wouldn't consider the team very cohesive. In fact, he was sure that the genin from other villages would probably underestimate their teamwork. Which was very good. He had learned that underestimation could be valuable in a fight, not that he got to use that to his advantage anymore since his name had become so well known.

They had a week until the exams started and he needed to consider what he should to focus on and what could be left until a later date, as well as fill out the paperwork to officially recognize them as participants. His eyes drifted towards orange hair. Kakashi watched the boy silently for a moment. His eyes were that familiar dark purple with no hints of that demonic red. They were crinkled slightly at the edges as he smiled at his brother's and teammates antics. He looked so much like a normal child. But...

He shook his head.

No.

He was being ridiculous.

_(Yet, ever since the battle at the bridge, his gut was telling him that there was something off. Something was wrong. And his gut had never been wrong before.)_

He sighed.

It was going to be a long night.

*

Shukaku's chakra felt like a heavy weight hovering over him even when he wasn't close enough to actually feel it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on his teammate's bickering and the steady flicker of his sensei's chakra in the trees on the other side of the bridge. He had been struggling to keep a neutral expression on his face all morning.

He knew Naruto noticed, but the boy hadn't said anything yet. Most likely still uncertain after Kurama's rejection last night.

"Kakashi-sensei, we know you're there! Natsu told us!" Naruto finally broke away from Sasuke and shouted, in the opposite direction from where Kakashi was hiding. Kurama was mildly surprised Naruto hadn't immediately started shouting when he told them about half an hour ago.

Kurama felt his sensei's amusement flair before the man moved towards the bridge landing on the railing next to Kurama.

"You're no fun Natsuki."

"After yesterday, I don't feel so friendly towards you sensei," Kurama replied immediately.

"Aw, so cruel raccoon eyes." Kakashi dodged Kurama's half-heart swipe and pulled out three small pieces of paper.

They were immediately on their guard leaping towards one another in a triangular defense formation with Naruto in the front hands in position to make some clones, while Kurama and Sasuke stood slightly behind him with their own hands up and ready to pull out some fire jutsus. They had decided firmly, that they wouldn't let their sensei get the drop on him like that again with those silencing seals. Naruto would create clones while Sasuke and Kurama would burn any seals that came close.

Kakashi rolling his eye at them, but there was a faint trace of pride that flickered through him.

"My, you three are paranoid this morning. Come now, use your eyes these are even remotely similar to those seals. These are your admission tickets to the chunin exam, not another silencing seal."

Kurama was the first to recover. "The chunin exams? Is that why there are so many shinobi from other villages?"

Is that why Shukaku was here? But that didn't make much sense either, why would a village risk their jinchuuriki by sending them to another village? Was that common practice? He didn't know, he only had vague memories of Kushina's chunin exam and he couldn't remember whether it was in this village or another. His seal had been so tight that he hardly knew what went on in her life enough to recall what could be important information now.

"What? There are other shinobi here? Since when?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"I notice a few Sunagakure and Kusagakure shinobi on my way here today," Sasuke replied. "As for the chunin exams, I thought that we had to be genin at least a year?"

"Hm, that's not a rule per say. More like a trend. Typically genin are given permission by their sensei's to participate after a year of training or a certain amount of D and C missions completed. However, there is no set rule on neither time nor missions completed and a sensei can give permission at any time."

He held out the three pieces of paper. They glanced at each other before taking their forms. Kurama glanced over the sheet. His full name had been written in the middle of the page with Kakashi's formal recommendation and signature below it.

"Now at this point, I'm sure a sensei is supposed to say that the choice to participate is ultimately up to you and you should take your time to decide on whether you want to take this next step in your career. They would also probably mention that this test is dangerous and warn their genin not to make light of this decision. But I know you guys and there isn't anything I could say that'll prevent you three from participating now that I've given you permission, so all I have to say is put on a good show for me okay?"

Naruto cheered. "Thanks, sensei! We will!"

He rolled his eyes at his sensei. "Thank you for your confidence in us. When is the exam?"

With a couple of weeks, they could probably come up with several plans and can get some solid train-

"A week from yesterday." Replied cheerfully, unknowingly forcing Kurama's plans to a stuttering stop.

"What," Sasuke spoke up this time looking as annoyed as Kurama felt. "Why did you tell us this now? We could have been training for this…"

"You have been." Kakashi interrupted. "The Hokage has been planning this exam for months, well before you three graduate. Everything you've done up to this point has been training not just to become stronger shinobi, but to also be prepared to participate in this exam. However, don't worry we'll be cramming during this week on a few important skills I think will benefit you guys."

"But still," Naruto whined. "Why didn't you tell us it was coming up so soon, sensei?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I hadn't decided whether I'd let you participate or not. If I ended up deciding on waiting, then there was no point in telling you about an exam you wouldn't even be taking. Besides we didn't have the official meeting till yesterday."

Sasuke scowled, looking as those he took offense to the idea that Kakashi wouldn't allow them to participate. Kurama held back a smirk as he imaged the Uchiha fighting over his right to take the exam. He was sure the other boy would be looking for a different sensei had that occurred.

"Huh. So, what are we going to do today?" Naruto continued. Out of the three of them, he was the most accepting of the situation. Kurama sent him a fond smile.

Kakashi's eye twinkled. "We'll run through what I'm allowed to tell about the exam today along with getting any supplied you guys want, before doing basic practice. As Sasuke kindly pointed out, a week isn't a lot of time to prepare and you'll want to be in good physical health before you begin."

The meandered away from the bridge and towards the marketplace as Kakashi began to explain.

"The exam is broken into three parts. Typically there is a section on stealth, teamwork or survival, and tournament style one on one fights, however, they can vary from exam to exam and village to village. The one on one fights is always the third part of the exam and the most consistent of the three parts, though different villages have different types of arenas. The other two parts of the exam can vary in activities and places."

Kurama listened with half an ear as his sensei began to explain. He tried to concentrate on the man's words, but he found himself distracted. Shukaku's chakra was getting closer. He glanced around the crowded street. Even the civilians looked slightly on edge, though they probably didn't know why they were feeling that way. Shukaku's chakra was dripping in malice as it spread out from whoever his jinchuuriki was like a cloud or more fittingly particles of sand saturated in an unseen pressure. Not quite strong enough to be considered killing intent, but enough to make the heart skip a beat and muscles to tense.

He glanced at his team.

Both Naruto and Sasuke were glancing around more often while Kakashi gave no physical signs of discomfort, though there was a hint of unease in his emotions. He turned his gaze towards the crowd around them again.

"The best strategy is to be observant and think about each instruction given before you act. Many people fail because they think that the exam is testing something that it isn't. They take the instructions at face value and aren't prepared for deviations or the unexpected. I won't lie to you, most genin who take the exam fail their first time. So, you'll be going up against, not only shinobi from other villages but shinobi from Konoha who failed their first, second or even third exam."

A flash of red caught his eye between the crowd of people. He tuned out his sensei and looked towards the slowly forming gap in the crowd. The people moving away looked even more disturbed than everyone else on the street. A woman walked by him swiftly nearly bumping into his shoulder in her haste. He paid her no mind as he focused on pale blue/green eyes.

For someone who exuded malice as thick as syrup, his eyes were strangely blank, almost glassy. Then again, it was likely that it was Shukaku's anger bleeding into his own chakra due to a weak or miss-drawn seal. He reached out, wondering if he could get past Shukaku's leaking malice to get a read on the human's emotional state but recoiled almost immediately. Pale eyes glanced over him briefly as the boy looked over the crowd, dismissing him immediately. He let out a silent breath of relief. Shukaku's and the human's emotions were tightly entwined in a way he knew his former seal would have never allowed. No wonder Shukaku's chakra was leaking and the boy looked out of it, the seal had to be faulty. A normal seal was already painful, this one had to be agonizing for the both of them.

He grimaced. He wouldn't deny the throb of pain at the thought of Shukaku hurting, but at the same time, he couldn't do anything to help him without revealing his own secrets. And he couldn't help anyone if he was captured and resealed properly.

_(Excuses, excuses, excuses. Selfish, selfish, selfish.)_

"Natsu? Natsu, whatcha lookin' at?" Naruto learned over his shoulder and glanced towards the redhead startling him.

"I-I just saw some Suna shinobi-" He started feeling a bit unsteady.

Naruto burst out laughing before he could finish. Kurama frown at him. The blond was pointing at Shukaku's jinchuuriki as he cackled catching the attention of not only him but his other two companions. Kurama nearly groaned. Sasuke thankfully took pity on him and smacked Naruto over the head.

"What are you laughing at random people for, dobe?" He snapped irritably.

"He-snort-eyes!" Naruto choked out before taking a deep breath to calm down.

Blue eyes turned to Kurama. Kurama leaned away as Naruto leaned closer to inspect his face a grin growing wider and wider. Naruto turned away from him and towards the group of three, who had meandered closer after noticing Naruto laughing, and inspected Shukaku's jinchuuriki just as closely.

"What's your deal brat?" The shinobi with purple face paint scowled at them fiercely, though Kurama detected a hint of nervousness as he stayed several feet away from the red head despite the crowded street. "You got a death sentence?"

"Kankuro. We are guests here you can't just go threatening people, even if they are rude." The blond snapped, though her eyes were on the red haired jinchuuriki.

Naruto ignored them both and turned to Kurama with a mock solemn look on his face.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm sorry little brother…" He trailed off as he struggled to maintain the look, but ultimately failed and allowed a goofy grin to spread. "He's definitely got you beat in the raccoon eyes department."

Kurama sighed. Sasuke let out a reluctant snort and the two Suna shinobi on either side of the jinchuuriki looked both confused and disturbed. The boy for his part had tilted his head to the side as he observed them silently through glassy eyes. Naruto turned to him with a bright grin.

"Hi! My names Naruto and this is my twin Natsuki and my teammate Sasuke! You're here for the chunin exams, aren't you? We're going to participate too! What're your names?"

"You…" The blond started slowly before shaking her head and continuing. "I'm Temari and these are my brothers Kankuro and…"

"Gaara." The redhead supplied blandly, his eyes focused on Naruto losing a bit of their glass look. His voice was a low and rough, as though he wasn't used to talking much.

Kurama frown. He wasn't sure which was worse, a blank look or a look of budding interest. If this jinchuuriki was as unstable as his emotional state suggested...well Kurama didn't want him anywhere near his brother.

_(He especially didn't want an angry, hurt Shukaku near his brother, unstable jinchuuriki or not.)_

"It's nice to meet you!" Naruto exclaimed. "Especially you, Gaara, I never thought I'd meet someone with worse bags under their eyes than my brother. You must not sleep at all!"

Gaara's siblings looked distinctly uncomfortable as Gaara himself blinked slowly. Kurama narrow his eyes. Was Shukaku trying to break free in the boys sleep? The seal must truly be bad, Kurama's seal had always been too restrictive to allow him anywhere near his host's mind unless they were truly lost in their rage.

He should cut this conversation short.

"I'm sorry." He began drawing the attention away from his brother. "We were just given permission today to participate and my brother is a little excited. I'm sorry if we bothered you. Good luck with the exams."

Gaara turned his gaze to him and nodded. "We will see one another again."

With that said he turned and walked away. Both of his siblings looked a bit sick to their stomachs as they hastily bowed politely before chasing after him, making Kurama wonder just how far gone this human was to make his supposed team fear him to such an extent. He tried not to grimace. If his emotional state was an indicator Suna probably had an issue with supposedly friendly fire. It made him wonder even more why they would send him here. Were they just trying to get him out of the village for a while to prevent more of their own shinobi's deaths? Or was it something more sinister. He knew that the human's treated jinchuuriki as a preventative measure for war and then weapons when said wars started anyway. He was lucky Shukaku wasn't as sensitive to chakra as some of his other

He sighed and shook his head. He didn't know enough to make a feasible guess and couldn't do anything about it even if he could. He was just lucky Shukaku wasn't as sensitive to chakra as some of his other biju siblings. He was sure even sealed away Matatabi or even Gyūki would have been able to recognize him or at the very least his chakra even if he wasn't using it actively. They would have tried to open up their shared mental link as biju immediately to try and converse with him if their seals allowed it.

He held back a grimace. This exam was going to be interesting. Even Shukaku would recognize his chakra once he started using it and out of all his biju siblings, he had no idea how he'd react to it. Considering they didn't part on good terms...

_(You abandoned them like you're doing now.)_

"What was that about?" Sasuke muttered bringing Kurama back to earth.

"They were kind of weird, weren't they?" Naruto folded his arms over his chest as he watched them disappeared in the crowd.

"Says the guy who laughed at them then introduced yourself and us in the most obnoxious way possible." Sasuke shot back. "Next time, you're not allowed to introduce the team. You make us all look bad."

"Hey!"

"Come now kiddies." Kakashi appeared. Kurama raised an eyebrow at him, wondering when exactly the man had disappeared. Keeping track of him seemed to be a test of constant vigilance. "Now that you've met another participating team. The Kazekage's kids, no less, let's break down what you observed as we get some supplies, shall we?"

As they walked home that evening, pleasantly sore from training Kurama happened to glance up at the roof tops when they separate from Sasuke. In the distance, he could see a speck of red on top of a building, a pale face tilted towards the sliver of moon hanging low in the sky. From where they stood the twisted malice of Shukaku's chakra was distant or maybe it was muted by the beauty of the night. Though Kurama wasn't sure if Shukaku shared the same fascination he did with the night sky.

He never took the time to ask or really talk to any of them after Hagoromo died. He just left them, certain of his own superiority and power.

"What is Natsu?" Naruto asked quietly.

Kurama shook his head and remained silent. He couldn't really explain the sudden sadness that seemed to overtake him. Like with most human emotions it came suddenly and overwhelmed him in its potency. He leaned over and bumped his shoulder with Naruto. He couldn't. No. He wouldn't make the same mistakes as before.

_(He should have kept them together. He should have kept the safe. Now, look at them. Kurama was a mere half of himself stuck in a human body while Shukaku was going mad in a faulty seal.)_

I won't leave you like I did them. I'll be the brother I was supposed to be, Naruto, and I'll protect you.

_(Even from myself.)_

*

Preview:   
_"ENOUGH!" Ibiki shouted. "WHEN I FIND OUT WHO DID THIS YOU'LL BE BANNED FROM THE CHUNIN EXAM COMPLETELY! YOU'LL HAVE NO DAMN CHANCE TO EVER BE A CHUNIN, YOU HERE ME!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that a Harry Potter, specifically a Mad-eye Moody reference? Why yes, yes it was. Lol
> 
> As you can see, Kurama learned the subtle art of avoidance of one's problems from Kakashi. Anyway, I had a difficult time with this chapter. I kept having to rewrite portions because I wasn't happy with the wording. I also re-watched the episodes dealing with this and was…less than pleased with the organization. I found it hard to believe that a shinobi village only told their jounin instructors about the chunin exam a week before it started. That seemed like something that is planned months in advance especially considering the fact that it involves other villages and undoubtedly all of the politics that goes along with foreign powers cooperating even for a small period of time. I was also a little disturbed by the lack of information the instructors provided their genin on this exam. I dunno if they weren't allowed or what, but this a big test to just shove them into blind especially as rookies.
> 
> Also, while I understand why Iruka freaked out in canon I think he has more confidence in the Uzumaki twins to not put up too much of a fuss. (Hayate also being there to explain his opinion instead of sassy canon Kakashi being a bit of a prick helped.)
> 
> Thank you guys for all of the reviews! Y'all are amazing as usual. Next chapter is the first task! Buckle up folks it gets crazy from here on out. Next chapter should also be up sometime next week. Prob, either Thursday or Friday.


	19. Chapter 19

They met at the usual crossroads a week later. The morning was crisp with a light breeze. The crossroads were clear of people at the moment. Though Sasuke was sure that would change in an hour or so when the village woke up fully.

Sasuke glanced over his teammates with a critical eye. Both of them looked normal, though judging by the slight sagging of Naruto's jacket he had an arsenal of pranks and trapping equipment tucked away. Naruto looked like he was barely containing his excitement. His eyes bright and fidgeting incessantly. Natsuki, on the other hand, seemed relaxed on the outside but there was a hint of trepidation in his eye. They nodded at each other in greeting and continue down the road towards the building where the first part of the chunin exam would take place.

"Hey." Natsuki started, his voice low.

Sasuke eyed him out of the corner of his eye, wondering if he was finally going to tell them what had obviously been on his mind all week. He had wanted to confront him sooner, but Naruto held him back with some excuse about letting his brother think it and come to them himself.

"Be careful of that red haired Suna shinobi, Gaara, ok?" Natsuki stared resolutely at the ground in front of him and there was a tightness in his voice that Sasuke recognized.

"This has something to do with the fox doesn't it?" The fact that both of his teammates had a demonic fox that had previously tried to destroy the village was something he was still trying reconcile with his perception of the two, but he was getting there. It definitely explained a few things.

Natsuki nodded slowly. "It's not like the whole sharingan thing though…I think…"

He trailed off glancing away. Naruto was soaking up each word, patiently waiting for his brother to find the words. Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"Spit it out. You wouldn't be warning us if it wasn't important."

Naruto sent him a look, but Sasuke just raised his eyebrow. He wasn't going to waste time waiting for their teammate to find the words.

"I think he's like Naruto and I. The…fox, it seemed to recognize him or at least his chakra. And, well, he had two different types of chakra. One of them is very…angry…"

Sasuke fought back against an automatic shiver. He had been witness to both the twins losing control though he didn't know that's what happened the first time. Sasuke only had vague memories of that time back in the academy. He had only just got out of the hospital after the massacre and had froze at the sight of Natsuki's blood. The release of that corrosive chakra had only heightened his panic and scrambled his mind. The second time, he had been on the brink of unconsciousness, unable to move when Natsuki lost control on the bridge. But he still felt that chakra. Malicious and imposing. It had clawed at his heart and made his lungs short of breath. He grimaced and shoved those thoughts away.

"Great so there's another one like you guys, what'd you call it? Jinchuuriki?" He knew the answer but just wanted clarification that he said it correctly. As soon as he returned he had dug through any information he could find on the subject. He did not want to be blindsided by his teammates anymore. The Konoha shinobi library was unsurprisingly barren on the subject.

Natsuki nodded smiling faintly. "There are actually ten of us since the Kyuubi was split into two."

"Nine biju, ten jinchuuriki." Sasuke murmured.

It was his clan's old district that he had found some answers to his questions in the form of an old and brittle children's book tucked away in the corner of his father's old office. Sasuke had read through it with a skeptical eye only having vague memories of his mother reading it to him. While he was doubtful of some of the information, (A God Tree gave a woman enough power to become a goddess? And was the origin of chakra? Really?) it was obvious that it seemed to be correct on the existence of nine powerful tailed beasts.

Natsuki glanced at him, surprising lingering in his eyes. Sasuke shrugged at the unvoiced question.

"What, you think I wouldn't try to find more information when both my teammates are jinchuuriki?"

Naruto laughed and slapped him on the back. "True, true, but where'd you find that information? The Hokage told us, but there wasn't any other info in the library."

Sasuke took a step away. Why was the blond so touchy? "Found a book in the Uchiha compound."

Natsuki blinked at him. "They didn't clear it out?"

Sasuke shrugged uncomfortably, the bodies and perishables were gone but everything else remained untouched. There were old laws protecting the place from outsiders and Sasuke, as clan head, had refused any attempt to try and remove anything from the compound. "No."

Naruto opened his mouth to obvious ask another question, but Sasuke cut him off. "Never mind, so what's the plan for him then?"

He supposed Natsuki's creepy power was good for something because the boy nodded and changed the subject. "Stay away from him. He's definitely unstable. The less contact we have with him the better."

They stopped in front of the designated building and looked up at it silently for a moment.

"Well come on! Let's go show them what we're made of!" Naruto swooped in between them and tugged them forward.

"Let go!" Sasuke snapped looking at Natsuki for help, but the orange haired boy just laughed waving his free hand in an idle 'just go with it' gesture. Sasuke growled lowly. Kakashi had drilled it into their heads that a major part of this exam was presentation. The proctors and Hokage himself didn't just look at whether you succeeded or failed the tasks, but how you conducted yourself in all three task and even outside of them throughout the duration of the exam.

He was sure Naruto was going to ruin it for them, acting like this!

He yanked his arm away and scowled at the two. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him but relented and continued at a calmer pace. They made it to the second floor with no sign of anyone else.

"Why do the stairs only got to the second floor?" Naruto muttered, looking puzzled. "The building is at least four levels and the room we're supposed to meet at is on the 3rd."

"Illusion," Natsuki replied eyes roving over the ceiling and walls. "The entire place is cover in them. It's really subtle to the chakra is spread out so thin…"

"So a test before the first task?" Sasuke questions bringing his hands up to dispel the illusion.

Natsuki stopped him with a sharp gesture and a sly smirk. "Wait a moment, we still have time. Why don't we go look and see who's creating these illusions and who fell for the trap?"

"Take a look at the competition?" Naruto grinned.

They both turned to Sasuke, who shrugged. There was really no point in arguing with them. It pointless when they were like this and it was a decent idea. They opened the door to the second floor and strolled down the busier hallway. Sasuke's eyes roved over the scene taking in all of the potential opponents and trying to guess at their relative skill.

Most looked weak.

He tried not to let his eye twitch when he caught sight of bright pink hair.

"Sasuke!"

He ignored her and eyed the boy that was thrown to the floor raising an eyebrow at his appearance. He glanced at his teammates. Natsuki was looking vaguely amused while Naruto was squinting at the two shinobi who were arguing with the fallen genin.

"Aren't those the guys who guarded the gate when we left and came back from our mission?" Naruto tilted his head to the side.

Sasuke glanced at Natsuki who shrugged. "Well, they seem to be the origin of the illusions."

They glanced at one another before raising their hands in unison.

"Kai!"

The hallways ripple and wavered, like a mirage on a hot day before the illusion faded completely. They were left in a hallway distinctly marked as the second floor with two adult chunin grinning from ear to ear.

"Well looky here Izumo, we have a group of showoffs." The one with the bandages on his face grinned, swinging an arm around the one with his hair over his right eye.

The other chunin smiled blandly. "And here I thought things were getting interesting with some deception among the genin."

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke noticed the strange boy in green leaped to his feet looking no worse for wear. His Hyuuga teammate had his eyes narrowed in irritation while the female looked amused. Apparently, they weren't the only ones who decided to investigate rather than move on.

"You tricked us!" Snapped the shorter blond standing near Sakura.

He must have been in his class in the academy, but Sasuke barely remembered him.

"You were easily tricked." The one apparently called Izumo replied back looking amused.

"You!" The taller boy apparently also on Sakura's team held the blond back from leaping at the two chunin.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and gestured at his teammate. "Come on, we proved out point. There should be another stairway down the hall that won't be as clogged with participants."

They nodded and went to follow him.

"Hey."

Sasuke glanced back at the Hyuuga. He definitely didn't recognize him even vaguely.

"What." He saw Natsuki rolled his eyes and he refrained from scowling at him.

"What's your name." The other boy demanded.

Sasuke tilted his chin up, automatically wanting to spit out a snide remark for the rude tone, but Natsuki put a hand on his shoulder and Naruto step forward slightly.

"We're team seven. That's Sasuke Uchiha and my brother Natsuki Uzumaki. And I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to meet you." Naruto tilted his head slightly, his grin was wide and expectant.

"You're the one who wanted to make a good impression." Natsuki murmured under his breath, his lips barely moving. "It's best to be polite for now."

Sasuke refrained from sighing.

The Hyuuga glared, whether from Naruto butting in or Naruto's unvoiced but still pointed question Sasuke didn't know. He opened his mouth, but the female in their team stepped forward.

"These are my teammates, Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, and I'm Tenten." She bowed politely.

"Nice to meet you!" Naruto exclaimed.

They walked away from the group without any more interference and wandered down the halls in search of another staircase. They made it to a large open room before pausing. Sasuke glanced around. The only staircase was the one that they had walked down. Ahead of them was a line of windows with the blinding morning light shining through. Well…

"So, are we lost?" Naruto started.

"We're not lost." Sasuke scowled.

"We're definitely lost," Natsuki replied.

Sasuke glared at him.

"Hey! You!"

The three of them turned to find the green-clad shinobi from the hallway. Rock Lee? Yes, Sasuke was sure that's what the girl said. Strange name for a strange guy.

"Sasuke Uchiha! I want to challenge you to a fight!"

"Right now? Why?" Sasuke frowned as the boy leaped over the banister and landed lightly on his feet.

"Yes, right now. I wish to test my strength against one known as a genius and a member of a great shinobi clan." The boy clenched his bandaged wrap fist in front of him.

Sasuke's eye twitched.

"The chunin exam will start soon." Natsuki cut in. "Don't you think it's best to wait for a chance to challenge him during the exam or even better after it?"

"No!" He cried. "I must prove my point that hard work is better than genius!"

He glanced at his teammates. Both Naruto and Natsuki were looking bemused. Natsuki raised his eyebrow at him, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. He turned back to the green-clad shinobi with a scowl.

"I'm not fighting you."

"You too look down on the value of hard work and think I am an infer opponent?"

"N-" He couldn't even finish the word before the weirdo flew at him faster than he could track.

"Sasuke!" He heard Naruto shout, but was too focused on blocking or trying to block.

As soon as Lee's leg came in contact with his arm he knew there was no way he'd be able to completely block. He turned his body to the side and tried to change the block into a grab, but Lee twisted midair and his other foot came up forcing Sasuke to jump back or receive a direct hit to the head.

His scowl deepened and he activated his sharingan to in hope of figuring out what jutsu he use to move that fast. However, even if his eyes saw the boy move towards him he couldn't force his own body to move in time to counter a direct kick to the jaw. All he could do was clench his teeth.

But, his teammates were there in a flash.

Naruto had about twenty clones grab at Lee, while Natsuki pulled Sasuke away slipping a coil of ninja wire in his hand. He glanced down, his eyes automatically seeing through the illusion hiding the wire. He glanced at Natsuki and nodded.

They charged under the cover of another group of Naruto's clones replacing the one's Lee dispersed. Sasuke shadowed a clone hiding from Lee's line of sight until the boy kicked the clone and dispersed it revealing Sasuke. He didn't attack, though he saw the boy tense in preparation. Instead, he slid past hooking the ninja wire over the boy's left foot that was still in the air from dispersing the clone. At the same time, Natsuki did the same with Lee's right hand.

"Wha-" Lee started before Naruto slammed into him with a punch to the gut.

A slight tug was all it took to throw him off his balance and send him toppling to the floor. Sasuke and Natsuki quickly circled him wrapping him tightly in the wire.

Lee frowned up at them. "I told you I wanted to fight Sasuke Uchiha!"

"Sorry, thick eyebrows," Naruto replied cheerfully. "We come as a packaged deal."

"And besides that." Sasuke snarled lowly. "I already told you I didn't want to fight you."

"But, I told you I want to prove-"

"Even if you beat me, you would have proved nothing." Sasuke snapped. "Of course hard work is important. Of course, it's worth more than something as arbitrary as being labeled a genius. You think I don't work hard? Just because some people I barely know said I was a genius? You're wrong. I train just as hard and anyone else, even more so! I have to, to keep up with these idiots."

"Aw, we love you too, Sasuke."

"Shut-up, dobe!" He glared at the blonde.

"Such passion! Lee, you must admit your defeat in the face of such youthful expression!"

They all turned towards the new arrival. Sasuke's eye twitched again. It was an adult version of the weirdo.

"Yes, Gai-sensei! I apologize Sasuke Uchiha! I should have noticed the passion of youth in your eyes!"

Sasuke took a step away from the suddenly not tied up weirdo who now had tears streaming down his face.

"Kakashi said you'd three would give us a show! I must say, I regret ever doubting my eternal rival!"

"You know our sensei?" Natsuki asked, looking entirely too amused by this turn of events.

"Yes! We are eternal rivals! 50 wins vs 49 losses!" The man struck a dramatic pose with a grin that seemed to shine unnaturally.

"Really?" Natsuki with an innocent expression that Sasuke could tell was entirely fake even without any special emotion sensing abilities. "Eternal rivals? He's never mentioned you to us before."

Now there were tears running down his face. "Kakashi is so cool!"

Naruto sidled up next to him looking disturbed.

"Sasuke, what is going on?"

"I…have no idea anymore."

*

Team seven was the last to enter the room catching the attention of everyone, however, the three barely glanced at the rest of the room. Shikamaru ghosted his eyes over them trying to determine how far they may have come since last seeing them. It had been a long time, after all, and they were the students of Kakashi Hatake whom both his father and his sensei spoke highly of.

Sasuke looked more irritated than usual. Natsuki was hiding a wide grin behind his sleeve. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't bother hiding his snickers.

"Youthful Sasuke Uchiha! Let us both do our best in this exam!" Came a shout from the crowd.

Shikamaru glanced towards it with a raised eyebrow only to find a strange looking Konoha shinobi. He blinked. Was that the team that graduated the year before them? Why…

He turned an incredulous gaze back towards the three. Sasuke looked murderous, while both the Uzumaki twins were cackling in unison on either side of him. He almost cracked a smile himself, if it wasn't so troublesome. There was something about seeing the usually unflappable Uchiha looking flustered that lighten his mood somewhat.

"Sasuke!" Twin shrieks from his teammate and pink haired former classmate made him wince.

Ino jumped at the poor guy.

"You're late, Sasuke!"

"We got lost." Naruto grinned.

Natsuki exchanged a glance with him and smiled blandly. "On the road of life."

Naruto's grin widened. "Yup! A black cat crossed our path so we had to take a different route."

He elbowed Sasuke. "Come on Sasuke, tell 'em about the old lady!"

The Uchiha shrugged off Ino with a scowl. "I want new teammates."

Shikamaru smirked and leaned back to observe as everyone got reacquainted with one another. When they were approached by the stranger he took a moment to observe him as well. There was a slight slump to his shoulders and a nervous jitter to his movements, that initially made him suspicious. He glanced over at Natsuki, but the boy's eyes were elsewhere. Scanning the room and looking a bit twitchy even as his teammates engaged the stranger. He turned back to the gray-haired shinobi, who had a sliver of shame in his expression that he tried to hide behind a smile as he admitted to how many times he had taken the test.

So, someone who was just genuinely trying to be helpful then.

He tilted his head to the side. Interesting. He didn't expect that from this exam, given the way his sensei and father talked about it. He turned his gaze back to team seven as they blurted out a name in unison.

"Gaara."

He raised an eyebrow. He had seen a few of the shinobi from other villages around but hadn't interacted with them. It was too much trouble to engage in conversation with strangers, especially with the large probability of them being hostile. Judging by the tense expression on their faces they had a bit of an encounter.

He rolled his eyes. Leave it to the Uzumaki twins to stir up trouble. He almost felt bad for the Uchiha.

"Get this, he completed a B-rank mission as a genin!"

Shikamaru watched as the three exchanged looks, while the rest of the rookies looked suitably impressed by such an accomplishment and narrowed his eyes. His sensei had mentioned Kakashi being arrogant over his student's success in this exam and had offhandedly told his team to make sure they didn't lose to them. Ino and Choji didn't really take him seriously, but Shikamaru's interest was peaked. Watching their expression and interactions with one another and everyone else only made that interest stronger.

_(They stood like a well-seasoned team. Sasuke in the front with Naruto and Natsuki flanking him. When they moved, they moved together. Watching one another's backs. They pay attention to the conversation, but at least one of them kept an eye on their surroundings at all times. They stood with an unshakeable confidence despite the slow rise in panic among the rest of the rookies.)_

_Sensei ran us through the typical teamwork exercises that I'm sure everyone else went through as well. So, what exactly did this Kakashi Hatake do differently to make them this close?_

He felt a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"So, troublesome." He murmured, ignoring Choji's curious look.

"Hey."

Choji and Ino glanced at him along with half of the other rookies, despite him not speaking very loud.

"We're not going to lose."

Team seven grinned.

The message was clear.

Shikamaru finally allowed himself to smirk.

_Bring it on._

*

Kurama frowned as he glanced over the questions again.

He could answer the first one and had a good idea about the third one, however, the rest might as well have been written in gibberish. He glanced around the room discretely, eyeing the line of chunin observers on either side of the desks. Every once in a while one of the would form a hand signal muttering "kai" to cancel out any illusions the genin might have put up to help them cheat.

"Number 42, you have failed for cheating."

Kurama watched as the scowling male left the room in a huff. He tried not to wince as the tension in the room spiked again with another person failure. He refrained from reaching up and rubbing the growing headache at his temples. His biju brother's container didn't help with his malicious emotions leaking out of him at a constant rate. He grimaced pulling his chakra closer to him when he felt Shukaku's chakra spike minutely as the boy used it to undoubtedly cheat.

He sighed. He had figured out quickly enough that this test was actually about the genin's stealth and information gathering skills, but he was still at a loss for how he was going to manage to get his answers. A familiar movement caught his attention.

Sasuke had reached up and tugged lightly at his left earlobe.

Kurama frown. _Eye on target?_

Could that mean he had the answers?

They had just started on creating silent communication signals after Kakashi surprise activity at the beginning of the week, so they only had a few signals that could work for a situation like this. Kurama lowered his head shaking his bangs to conceal his eyes and watched for another signal.

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair.

_Need distraction._

Kurama was behind both of them and couldn't signal, but he noticed Naruto let out a large, obnoxious yawn making the genin on his left glare fiercely. Kurama fought back a smirk threatening to take over his face.

_Hokage's birthday._

Naruto insisted on that signal and now he had a chance to use it.

Kurama almost felt sorry the test proctors.

He let out an exasperated sighed and thumped his head on the table like he was giving up. He folded his arms over his desk and buried his face in them, trying to shield his eyes and nose as much as possible without it being extremely noticeable. With a minute the room suddenly exploded in a ruckus of flash bombs, smoke bombs, stink bombs, and noisemakers. Kurama covered his nose and lifted his head just in time to catch the small projectile thrown his way.

While the room was still in a panic he quickly unfolded to scrap of paper, most likely torn from the bottom of Sasuke's test and copied that answers onto his own sheet. When done he shoved the scrap into his mouth and swallowed to get rid of the evidence.

He saw his brother do the same and finally allowed himself to smirk.

"ENOUGH!" Ibiki shouted once the prank had ended leaving the room smelling like rotten eggs. "WHEN I FIND OUT WHO DID THIS YOU'LL BE BANNED FROM THE CHUNIN EXAM COMPLETELY! YOU'LL HAVE NO DAMN CHANCE TO EVER BE A CHUNIN, YOU HERE ME!"

Kurama forced his face back into a neutral expression as the man's eyes raked over all of the genin present, his eyes lingering on Naruto's playfully innocent face. Kurama wasn't sure if the man was aware of Naruto's history with pranks, but in an official exam like this if he couldn't prove it was the blond then there was nothing he could do to him. Ibiki knew that, which undoubtedly made Naruto's exaggerated look of innocence even more upsetting for the man. Naruto made a show of turning back to his test and pretending to fret over the answers.

Kurama's smirk was fighting to make another appearance, so he turned his gaze away to try and stem his amusement only to meet the steady gaze of the man next to him.

Kabuto.

His mind supplied the name to the face quickly even if he had been distracted by Gaara when the man was talking to his group.

Kurama wondered if the man had been watching him the entire time. He felt his heartbeat speed up as panic replaced shock. How could he have not noticed he was being watched so closely? He reached out briefly for any negative emotions only to recoil at the oddness of the other man's emotional state.

It was almost as though he didn't have any emotions at all.

Kurama glanced down uncomfortably, noting the completely filled out test in front of the man, before looking back up to meet his stare again. The man smiled, a softer one in comparison to the polite grin the man wore earlier when he showed them some of the shinobi stats, and winked before turning back to his test.

Like Naruto, he pretended to fret over the paper, but unlike Naruto, it looked like he was actually struggling. If Kurama hadn't already known the test was filled out, he would have been completely fooled. The man was even projecting anxiety and slight depression.

Haku had presented an admirable straight face when he talked with Kurama in the woods, but his emotions had given him away when Kurama revealed that he was a chakra sensor. This human, however, gave nothing away. Not in his facial expression nor his emotions.

Kurama turned back to his own completed test, his mind reeling.

_Why was he still a genin?_

*

Sakura scrubbed at her watering eyes with the back of her gloves in annoyance. The smell of rotten eggs still hung in the air making her wrinkle her nose in disgust and she was still blinking away stars.

She grimaced.

As annoying at that prank was, at least her suspicion was confirmed. This test was definitely about cheating. She stared down at the mostly answered test in front of her trying to formulate a plan. She had worked out most of the problems herself and at least had a guess for those she wasn't certain of but she didn't know how her teammates were doing. She knew both of them were terrible with tests and were probably feeling the pressure right now to cheat, but as far as she knew they didn't have any specific skills or jutsus that would help them. And she didn't even know whether they had figured out they were supposed to cheat or not.

She eyed the back of Hasegawa's head.

He was bent over his paper, his shoulders stiff.

She turned her gaze to Kenta.

He was leaning back in his chair shoulders slumped.

She bit her lip.

She had the answers, but how was she supposed to give them to her teammates? She was on the outside isle, right next to the protectors. There was no way she'd be able to get the answer to them without being caught! The giant prank, she was sure was caused by Naruto would have been the perfect cover if she had known, but at that point, she still hadn't been certain on what the test was actually about.

She scowled and slammed her hands down on the table, ignoring that way it shook.

"Bathroom!" she exclaimed as she glared at the closest proctor.

She was fairly certain she heard Ino snickering, but she didn't let her embarrassment show on her face. She had to be loud to catch her teammate's attention.

The proctors stood slowly. "Right. Follow me."

"You're not going to follow me into the ladies room, are you!? You're a man! That'd be perverted." Sakura asked pointedly and still very loud.

The proctor looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"No. I'm just following you to make sure you don't go anywhere else and can't cheat." He replied.

Sakura nodded trying to hold back a blush as more snickers joined Ino's.

This was for her teammates. Hopefully, they'd catch on, or this was all for nothing. They walked out of the room and down the hall to the bathrooms. She gave the proctor one last glare before disappearing into it. Once alone she took a deep breath and created a clone, making it as perfect as possible. She instructed it to leave after a normal amount of time and listened closely as the footsteps faded away.

She grinned.

Everything was going well so far.

She slipped into the men's bathroom with a wrinkle of her nose. If her mother found out about this she'd never hear the end of it. She looked around for something to write on, tugging loose some paper towels she wrote out two copies of the answers.

Hearing footsteps she slid into the middle stale to hide by crouching on the toilet seat.

"Aw come-on." She heard Hasegawa complain. "Why ya gotta go in with me? This is totally lame, I bet you let that girl go in the bathroom alone. This is discrimination!"

"Just shut up and go to the bathroom."

"Fine. Fine. But, it's going to take a bit, so why don't you relax?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. Even without seeing it, she knew he had a shit eating grin on his face. She grimaced. Probably not the best analogy for their current environment.

She focused on the task at hand. There were only three stalls and she had claimed the middle, so no matter what Hasegawa would be in the one next to her, allowing her to give him the answers. He entered the one on her right, closest to the wall. Sakura carefully leaned down, and flicked the answers underneath the stall. Hasegawa caught it before it hit the ground.

She curled herself back onto the toilet trying not to laugh as Hasegawa proceeded to make loud exaggerated noises pretending he had some constipation before finally leaving.

Kenta came in next, and Sakura repeated the process.

She grinned to herself as Kenta left, refraining from shouting in joy.

She did it!

She got the answers to her teammates!

Now they just needed to answer the final question and they'd be good!

She focused her attention on her clone. Carefully instructing it to ask to use the bathroom once more as she ran out the door to slip back into the woman's bathroom.

She froze when she got out into the hallway.

In front of her stood one of the Suna shinobi and a proctor.

"Oh hey, weren't you the one who..." He blinked slowly before his face cleared in understanding. "You had a similar idea to me!"

The guy grinned.

"Um…" She glanced at the proctor.

The guy waved his hand. "Don't worry about him, he's a plant I used to get the answers."

She blinked and looked over the proctor critically. Her eyes widened.

"A puppet!" She exclaimed. "That's so cool! How did you sneak that past them?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you know, I just dressed him up and had him stand with the proctors when they appeared. Nothing fancy or anything like that. Uh, my name's Kankuro by the way."

"Sakura." She replied with a grin. She froze when she heard a door open down the hallway.

Her clone and another proctor!

"I have to go now! But good luck." She whispered and slipped into the bathroom just in time.

She managed to switch with her clone without any trouble and make it back to her spot in the exam room. When Kankuro came back, just in time for the final question to be revealed he winked at her as he passed. Sakura ducked her head to hide a grin. She had been worried at first about competing against other village's shinobi, but meeting Kankuro put her worries at ease. They were just genin like her and her team who wanted to become chunin just as much as them.

Of course, the scary guy running the exam had to try and ruin her good mood with the rules to the last question. She watched as Kenta's shoulders relaxed and smiled to herself. She was fairly certain he was going to take the fall for them, but Naruto of all people managed to calm everyone down with a loud rant and stubborn glint in his eye.

She shook her head as her smile turned rueful.

_I guess I owe that knucklehead one._

She and her teammates had passed.

She clenched her fists, her new gloves crinkling with the movement.

Now it's time for the second task.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet some of you thought that Kakashi's little activity about silent communication was just for funsies. Nope! It was actually important to the team's success during the first task. lol
> 
> This one was fairly lighthearted, but that was on purpose. The Forest of Death is...well, let's just say things go bad real quick. Speaking of the forest of death and next chapter, I'm leaving for a trip next Thursday and won't get back till 9th of July. I'll continue to write and will try to get as much as the chapter done as possible before I leave, but I may not have decent internet to upload. Hopefully, I will but just a heads up if I don't.
> 
> Thanks for all the reviews! Let me know what think about team sevens interaction with Lee and Gai! That was fun to write. Hopefully, it's just as fun to read.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know, it's kind of funny. I started this story with a minimum goal of 2,5k per chapter, but now I don't even consider anything below 4k a full chapter. In fact, the last seven chapters have all been well over 4k. And here's a 10k chapter. It's funny how that works out. My treat, I guess, for taking so long to update.
> 
> Warning: Uh, it gets a little gory. Just a heads up.

"Ibiki specializes in mental torture. Rather than physical. He has a way of getting into your head and psyching you out." Asuma leaned back on the couch with a faint smirk on his face. "Right Hayate? He was your teammate wasn't he?"

"He's always been like that." He murmured, thinking back on his former teammate. "We always joked that he had such a way with words he should have gone into acting rather than killing. But, he found his niche in the TI department."

Kakashi snorted. "Him? An actor? He may be good with words but his expression is as hard as stone."

"He wasn't always like that." Hayate coughed into his hand. "Besides did you see that last film with that new actor Hideki Maki? Yūgao swears he barely twitched his lips the whole time."

Kakashi shrugged and Hayate remembered that the man didn't have any hobbies outside of his job and reading porn. He'd have to drag him out with Yūgao sometime. He knew his girlfriend worried over her former captain.

"Well regardless, now he's over there torturing our poor genin into submission."Asuma chuckled to himself and took another long drag from his cigarette.

He folded his hands over the folder in his lap. He had meant to simply grab the information on the chunin exam participants from a friend in Anbu who owed him one and go back to his apartment to parcel through the information like a fine toothed comb. However, he got caught up talking with Asuma who pulled him over to one of the jounin lounges to chat while their students participated in the first half of the chunin exam.

Though they did very little talking and it was an hour into the exam already. Hayate glanced around, wondering if he could excuse himself politely at this point.

Kurenai sat next to Asuma, arms folded over her chest, looking pensive. Kakashi was sitting on the windowsill, his customary orange colored porn book in hand. Hayate held back a sigh, but couldn't stop a cough from bubbling up. Although Kurenai was the most visibly nervous out of the four of them, he could tell that everyone was stressed. Asuma was on his fifth cigarette and Kakashi hadn't actually turned the page in over half an hour.

The door slammed open making them all jump.

"Guess who I found running laps around the city muttering about never doubting his students?"

Hayate sighed.

It was only Genma dragging bashful looking Gai behind him. The man paused and glanced over all of them with a raised eyebrow.

"Damn, remind me never to get a genin team. You lot looked horrible."

Kurenai smiled faintly at him, while Asuma huffed and Kakashi rolled his eye.

Genma flopped down on the couch next to him with a laugh.

"Alright, so now that I've got you all gather here." The man leaned forward with a wide grin. "Who wants to start betting?"

Hayate sighed again.

Later that evening, when his genin were safely at their respective homes likely still high on their victory, he sat down at the dining room table a smile tugging at his lips as the warm glow of pride hovered in his chest like a small sun. He flipped open the folder and slowly began to organize the information. It was a lot more than he expected to receive.

A note from the Hokage slipped out, telling him not to work too hard and he smiled faintly.

He should have known Kenji would go straight to the Hokage after Hayate expressed his suspicions to him. The man was loyal to a fault.

He glanced over the patrol information, memorizing the routes and who was running them at what time. He slipped into his room and dropped a kiss on Yūgao's forehead as he gathered his gear. She muttered a sleepy be safe, likely forgetting he wasn't even supposed to be on patrol duty right now.

She'd probably lecture him in the morning, but he'd deal with that then.

For now, he'd fit himself into any potential holes in the security and keep a closer eye on the Suna shinobi within the village.

*

He blinked slowly at the enormous trees towering behind the fence.

So this was the place he that seemed to hum with natural chakra. From his late nights sitting on the roof of their apartment building he had noticed towering trees in the distance, but on later exploration with his brother he learned that this area was restricted. No civilian or even genin without a pass or jounin supervision could even get near it.

Staring into the dark shadows of the forest he could understand why now.

"Was that a giant snake?" Naruto murmured beside him, eyes wide. "It just ate that bird! In one gulp. Did you see that Natsu, Sasuke?!"

Kurama nodded slowly. "This place is humming with chakra, I think it might be affecting the wildlife."

"Hn." Sasuke looked mildly disturbed.

Kurama smiled faintly at the two of them. Places like these were rare, especially with the ever expanding nature of humans, but he had come across them when he was free all those years ago. Natural occurring hot spots of nature chakra.

The three of them listened closely to this Anko person's instructions. There were mutters all around over the lack of preparation before being thrown into a survival situation. Kurama merely frowned. While he could understand the logic behind it, that didn't make it any less daunting.

The moved away from the other teams when they received their consent forms. The proctors in charge weren't done setting up by the time they finished reading through and signing their forms, so they sat down to start discussing a plan.

"We're going to have to find water first." Kurama murmured. "We can survive a few days without food, but it's probably best if we get the other scroll as quickly as possible. Dragging it out will be harsher on us in the long run, especially if we can't find a reliable source of food."

"Heh, don't worry guys." Naruto grinned. "I got us covered."

His hands patted his bulging pockets. Kurama and Sasuke exchanged glances before silently prompting him to explain.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei was constantly telling us to be prepared, right? So, I made sure to bring all sorts of supplies."

Kurama blinked. "Ah, you did buy a lot of storage seals and sealing supplies when we went shopping with Kakashi-sensei."

That must have also been the reason Naruto had been rushing around that morning like a chicken with his head cut off, digging under the couch and in the cupboards and even under their bed.

"So that's what you were working on this past week," Sasuke muttered.

His brother nodded. "Yeah, I'm better at exploding seals than storage, but I can make them myself as well. If we need some more. I can't wait till I can get into the bigger stuff, but Kakashi-sensei said to wait till after the chunin exam."

"So what do you have?" Kurama asked with a fond smile.

"A lot of traps and stuff, but I also got some food, and water canteens for the three of us. Lots of extra weapons too."

"That's perfect." Kurama glanced over at the other teams. "Since we'll have our basics covered we should think of a plan or two for getting the opposite scroll."

"Hn, they're covering the station, so we can't peek at who's getting what scroll," Sasuke muttered glaring in the direction of the chunin setting up by the fence.

"So, we'll have to find that out ourselves in the forest." Naruto folded his arms over his chest. "Huh, well maybe we can capture some teams in my traps…"

Kurama nodded. "Yes, we can find a good position and lure them in."

"That creepy woman said that the ending point was the tower in the middle of the training grounds. Maybe we can set up camp near it and nab anyone trying to go in?" Sasuke added.

"That's definitely where all the action would be," Kurama replied. "But, we might open ourselves up to an attack that way from multiple teams."

Sasuke folded his arms over his chest. "We can handle it."

Kurama opened his mouth to reply to that cocky statement with a rebuttal but was cut off.

"We're ready for you fooorrrmmmsssss now!" Anko shouted brightly waving her arms in the air.

They leaped to their feet and darted over to the quickly forming line. Getting their Heaven scroll was a simple affair, Naruto shoved it in one of his pockets quickly and they made their way towards their assigned gate to wait until the exam began.

"Hey, what are we goin' to do about the scroll?" Naruto asked while eyeing the team waiting at the gate to their right. It was an older group of genin from Konoha.

A woman with long dark hair and a gold nose ring scowled at Naruto when she noticed him looking. Naruto just grinned.

"We should find a safe place to figure out who's going to keep it and how we're going to hide it when we getting into the training ground," Kurama replied fighting back a smile at his brother antics.

"You're sensing ability is going to be important in there," Sasuke said thoughtfully. Kurama glanced at the Ame team at the gate to the left of them. They wore strange yellow jumpsuits and respirators over their mouths. He vaguely wondered how the one with the cloth completely over his eyes without any holes cut out for the eyes, like his two teammates, saw anything.

"So, what? We'll dart in, find a safe place away from the other teams to sort out our scroll and decide what our plan is?" Naruto covered his mouth with his hand and spoke softly, trying to prevent the other teams from hearing or reading his lips to know what they were planning.

Kurama and Sasuke nodded.

It took twenty minutes for everyone to turn in their forms and get their teams scroll. Twenty minutes of slowly mounting stress and uncertainty. In the distance, he felt the touch of malice from Shukaku spiking minutely as well. He tried not to grimace as a mounting headache pounding behind his eyes that the close proximity to his biju brother's jinchuuriki caused. It didn't help that all the other teams' emotions were high as well. Kurama winced slightly as fear spike in one of the members of the Konoha group the right of them.

"Come on, come on, come on," Naruto muttered underneath his breath.

He took a breath and glanced at proctor's booth. The last team had just left and were making their way towards the last gate.

"Be prepared." Sasuke murmured shifting forward slightly as he prepared to take off immediately.

Kurama and Naruto copied him.

"Ready?!" He could hear the grin in Anko's voice as it echoes around the area. "One last piece of advice for ya baby genin. Don't Die!"

She paused for effect.

Kurama narrow his eyes.

"Go!"

The gate open and they darted in as quickly as they could. Kurama was on point extending his senses as far as he could to prevent any disastrous collisions with other teams while they didn't have a plan ready or their scroll properly hidden. Naruto was on his right side hands ready to create clones while Sasuke was on his left sharingan eyes already activated. He could sense the Ame shinobi to their left make an aborted lunged at them before seeming to change their minds and fall behind as Kurama as his team charge forward into the gloomy forest. It was harder than he thought to sense people in the chakra heavy forest, but he managed to steer their team away from the other teams and towards a more defensible position within the overgrown roots of one of the giant trees.

They check for any wildlife before slinking into the shadows under the roots and crouching down to discuss what they were going to do about their scroll.

"I can put it in one of my storage scrolls." Naruto murmured taking out both the Heaven scroll and an empty storage scroll.

"Good idea." Kurama nodded.

"We should make a decoy," Sasuke replied, eyes darting to every possible crack someone could slip through despite Kurama's assurances that no one was around them.

"Naruto can I have three storage scrolls? Doesn't matter what's in them." Kurama held out his hand as an idea occurred to him.

"Sure." Naruto dug through his pockets. "Uh, let's see…this one is shuriken. And this one is a bunch of exploding tags that'll explode like five or ten seconds after you release them. I can't remember which. Anyway, this last is, well, it might explode if we open it. I was just experimenting and um…well, I didn't have enough time to asking Kakashi-sensei to check it over so see if I did it right so…is that fine? I can give you another one for…uh, what do ya need these for?"

Kurama rolled his eyes and took all three of the scrolls. Instead of answering he picked up the Heaven scroll and examined it thoroughly before setting it back down next to the storage scroll Naruto had offered to seal it in. Sasuke made a noise of understanding as Kurama move his hands over the other three scrolls.

He coated the scrolls with his chakra weaving it to match the Heaven scroll.

Naruto whistled as Kurama handed him one of the scrolls.

"Ah, ok. So, each of us gets a decoy."

"It's simple, but it works." Sasuke took the scroll Kurama offered and examined it with his sharingan, before tucking it away in his weapons pouch on his leg.

"Ok, so what's the plan for getting the Earth scroll?" Naruto asked as he finished sealing the real Heaven scroll in the storage seal. He bit his thumb and wrote out the kanji for _Supplies_ , clumsily on the outside of the scroll.

"I think setting up a trap is our best bet," Kurama replied. "We don't know our opponent's strengths or weaknesses, so limiting their movement and pushing them into a corner would be better than engaging them in battle immediately."

"I have a lot of trapping material." Naruto grinned. "Learned some new ones from one of my books and Kakashi-sensei taught me a few more tricks this last week. I can definitely make an awesome trap."

"We just need to find out where we'll do it." Sasuke nodded. "I still think by the tower would be the best spot."

"And I'm telling you that'd leave us too open for surprise attacks" Kurama replied. Sasuke scowled at him, but Kurama just held his hand up with a sigh. "Listen, how about we take today to observe and see what works best. If we can find a defensible spot near the tower, then ok we can do that but I still think we should be cautious about it and keep our eyes open for better positions."

The boy continued to scowl, but nodded slowly accepting his reasoning for now. Naruto just grinned at them obviously not caring where they put his trap just as long as he could make one.

Kurama turned his head sharply towards when he caught a flicker of chakra on the edge of his senses.

"An enemy?" Sasuke questioned.

Kurama nodded. "It feels like one of those Ame shinobi that were at the gate to the left of us."

"Only one?" Naruto frowned. "A trap?"

"Maybe."

Their eyes met.

Naruto grinned.

"Hey, guys I gotta pee!" Naruto announced cheerfully.

Kurama rolled his eyes, while Sasuke grumbled inaudibly.

"Don't worry, it'll just be a jiffy!" He jogged to the edge of the clearing. "I'll just be over here."

Kurama fought back a smirk as he ghosted over the branches of the tree to the right of his brother as he pushed his way through some thick shrubbery. He tucked his hair into his haori to prevent unnecessary movement as he crept upside-down along the branch to hover over Naruto as he pretended to find a good place to pee in the smaller clearing. Sasuke crept towards him from the opposite tree, having shadowed Naruto from the left, till they were side by side on the branch above Naruto.

For effect, Kurama added the distant noise of Sasuke's and him arguing quietly over a plan of attack from the larger clearing Naruto left from. They were actually Naruto's clones covered in a genjutsu to make them look and sound like Sasuke and him, but their foe didn't know that.

No, the Ame shinobi in question was completely falling for the bait.

Kurama watched as he moved towards Naruto slowly.

He held up his hand in a fist.

_Hold Position._

Sasuke nodded minutely.

Kurama allowed for the Ame shinobi to get within a foot of Naruto before he opened his fist.

_Go._

Sasuke kunai cut through the air pinning the enemy to the ground by his arms and pants sleeves. Kurama was half a second behind them landing heavily on the shinobi's back using his chakra to cling to his clothes as he bucked wildly trying to tear free of the kunai and Kurama weight. He only stilled when Kurama put his own kunai to his neck.

He leaned down.

"Now what do you think you're doing?" He whispered lowly.

Naruto turned around with a grin and crouched in front of the trapped shinobi.

"What? Ya think you could catch me unaware?"

Sasuke landed next to Naruto lightly a smug smirk tugging at his lips.

"Tsk." The Ame shinobi went completely limp and growled. "So you guys weren't as easy as I thought you'd be."

"Nope!" Naruto replied in a singsong voice. "We knew you were coming before you even knew where we were."

"Now, where's the rest of your team, and your scroll?" Sasuke demanded.

"Heh. Like I'd tell you." The shinobi snapped as he resumed his struggling.

Kurama shifted the kunai at his neck, reminding him why he stopped in the first place.

"You really think you're in a position to argue." He murmured softly in his ear. He pressed the kunai a little harder, the sharp edge cutting into his neck.

A droplet of blood dripped down the blade and onto the ground.

Kurama felt the wavering of Naruto's emotions and saw the barely held back grimace, but he continued anyway.

They agreed to this.

They weren't going to get any information by being nice.

"What?" The shinobi laughed harshly. There wasn't a hint of fear in his emotions. "You think I'd believe that you little brats would kill me? I know about you, you know. You're part of that group of Konoha brats who just became genin. You're just little kids pretending to be shinobi. You can't threaten me."

"Is that so?" Kurama replied calmly, his lips curling slightly at the hint of uncertainty his soft question caused. He leaned forward, his free hand curled into his hair and yanked his head to an undoubtedly uncomfortable position so that the shinobi could look into his eyes. He consciously forced the color of his eyes to slowly morph into a menacing red as he flared his chakra deliberately.

_(They were far enough away from Shukaku that a little bit should be fine.)_

"You tried to hurt my brother." He continued, his voice just barely above a whisper. "You know what happened to the last person who tried to hurt me? My brother killed him."

He tried to ignore Naruto's flinch and stayed focused on the shinobi's dilating eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke hesitate briefly before laying a hand on Naruto's shoulder. He turned his attention back to the shinobi.

(We agreed to this. We agreed to this. Naruto will be okay. He said he'd be fine. Focus. Focus, on the enemy.)

"What makes you think I won't do that same thing to you?" He leaned forward a bit more and dropped his voice to a hiss. "After all, I'm a lot meaner than my brother. He only killed that chunin. I'll make you _suffer_ , genin."

He stretched out the vowels for genin deliberately and unsubtly marking the difference in status between Mizuki and him. Though technically their former teacher was at a jounin level in ability, he didn't want to ruin this by telling a lie as minuscule as it was. He wasn't sure how well this genin knew the facial cues for lying. It was over dramatic and a bit cliché, any shinobi with a lick of experience in interrogation would see through it in a second, but none of it was technically a lie.

_(He'd kill for Naruto when it came down to it, after all.)_

And they weren't going up against experienced shinobi.

The first task made him realize that as he watched as teams give up one by one under the pressure of the choice Ibiki forced them to make. That's why he had suggested trying this out when they were throwing together a quick plan to capture the Ame shinobi and why he wasn't surprised when the shinobi trembled underneath Kurama, eyes dilated and emotions screaming terror under the pressure of the barest hint of Kurama's chakra. He was captured completely by his eyes and words, listening with growing horror.

He could feel Naruto and Sasuke grow uneasy at the show and undoubtedly this chakra, so he shove a little more into the air in hopes of making the other shinobi speak quickly to get it over with. Despite his brothers vow to continue being a shinobi and his promises that he was okay after Mizuki's death, Kurama knew the boy was still uncomfortable thinking about that night.

He was starting to regret suggesting this idea.

"I d-don't have the scroll. M-Mubi has it!"

"Hm," Kurama tilted his head. "Then where is this Mubi? And what scroll is it? Heaven or Earth?"

"E-Earth, my team is-"

The rush of triumph was immediately rush by a fast moving gale of malicious intent heading straight towards them. He had no time for a warning. Instead, he used the capture shinobi as a spring board to leap over his teammates and dragged them out of harm's way by the collar of their shirts. He tossed them ahead of him a few feet and spun on his heel as he felt the new enemy get close.

Half a second later a new enemy entered the clearing.

Sasuke and Naruto's protests were cut off when they noticed the new figure.

"Oh my, did I interrupt something?" Although the shinobi's face and figure were androgynous, her voice was the higher pitch of a woman. However, despite the soft tones, Kurama could shake the strange wrongness he felt when looking at her.

There was something wrong.

Something seriously wrong.

The Ame shinobi tugged his clothes loose and leaped to his feet. He took one glance around him before trying to dart off into the woods.

She caught him before he could move an inch.

"This isn't good." She frowned as she pinned him in place with a rough grip on his hair. "There wasn't supposed to be an extra here."

She blinked. "Oh well."

Kurama was close enough to get splashed with the crimson liquid when she slashed his throat with a kunai. He stumbled back a step. He heard Naruto cry out behind him and Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath. The woman simply dropped the body and turned fully towards them.

She tilted her head to the side in mock confusion. "What's the matter? Weren't you just threatening to kill him? Hm, what was it again…? Oh, yes. _I'm a lot meaner than my brother; I'll make you suffer._ "

Kurama took another step back as he was hit with a wave of amused malice.

"Oh wait, you wanted to get the whereabouts of his teams Earth scroll, didn't you? My apologies." She reached behind her making all of them tense. "How about I make it up to you? You see, I have an Earth scroll too. You won't have to go hunt down another team. Just have to kill me."

"Of course, since it's three on one I can't make it too easy for you." She opened her mouth and swallowed the scroll whole. "You'll have to cut it out of my stomach if you manage to beat me."

"Fine! We'll do just that!" Sasuke snapped taking a step forward so that he was even with Kurama.

The woman laughed softly. "You've got spirit boy, but are you sure you'll be able to lay a hand on me?"

"Of cour-geh!"

The clearing echoed with the crack of three sets of knees hitting the ground at once. Kurama felt an involuntary shiver at the intensity of the killing intent. This was worse than Kakashi, worse than Zabuza. His breath shuddered in his lungs and sweat dripped down his face.

A kunai to the heart.

_(No.)_

A kunai to the head.

_(NO.)_

_(That is not how this goes. He had sworn to not be weak anymore!)_

He closed his eyes and took a breath.

_(He didn't know what was going on. This person seemed way too strong to be a mere genin and judging by her earlier words it seemed like she had sought them out specifically. No. He could muss about the reasoning later, right now he had to get his teammates out of this situation.)_

His chakra flared as he opened his eyes and glared into slowly widening eyes.

"You think that paltry bit of killing intent would scare _me_?" He growled lowly as energy flooded his system, heightening his senses and dispersing the woman's own killing intent with ease.

" _Oh my._ "

_Yes, focus on me. Don't look at them. Don't you dare hurt them. Just focus on me._

He wiped his upper lip with the back of his left hand deliberately, not daring to glance to his left where he knew Sasuke's eyes were on him.

_Run._

*

_Run._

He recognized it despite kneeling slightly behind his brother.

That was one of the first signs that they had created.

It was one Natsuki insisted on.

He had taken a serious pose and whipped his hand over his upper lip decisively while glaring ahead. Sasuke had argued that it should be something else. Something like tapping or patting the leg a certain number of times. Naruto had to agree with Sasuke, it looked too cool to be their flee signal, but Natsu had only shaken his head.

_"These are supposed to be secret. We want to misdirect our enemies and make sure they don't know what we're planning. This move looks like you're determined to fight. Our enemies will assume that we're going to come at them with all we have. When we disappear they won't immediately think we're running, instead, they might assume that we're preparing a surprise attack. Hopefully, that'll give us a head start."_

Sasuke had rolled his eyes and agreed eventually, muttering something along the lines of them probably not using much so it wasn't that big of a deal. Like with the signal itself, Naruto had agreed with his other teammate. He didn't want to run from a fight. He wanted to be strong. He wanted to beat their opponents.

He didn't feel very strong right now.

His brother was once again surrounded by that damn Fox's chakra. Not as much as the bridge, but still more than Naruto would ever be comfortable seeing his brother engulfed in. It chased away the creepy woman's killing intent, but it wasn't much better for trying to think straight or move for that matter. His limbs were still shaking and his heart beat wildly at the oppressive red chakra licking at his skin. He tensed waiting for it to burn him.

"I won't let you hurt them."

And suddenly it wasn't as oppressive.

He flinched as it curled around him, but instead of burning him it surrounded him in a comforting warmth that calmed his racing heart and soothed his trembling hands.

_**Naruto. Run. You have to run. Please.** _

The voice sounded like it was coming through a broken radio. It echoed and faded mid word. His ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton as he tried to make out the meaning as it rumbled and echoed in his mind.

It wasn't his brother's voice.

It was deeper.

More…well, he wasn't sure.

But, despite the oddity, there was a familiarity in the inflection and tone of the words that reminded him of his brother and spurred his limbs to move. He tugged the still frozen Sasuke after him as he raced up the closest tree and leaped away as quick as possible. Sasuke managed to shake himself out of his stupor enough to not need unnecessary dragging, but Naruto still kept a hold of him to try to fight back his own nerves.

He tried focused on getting away.

_(There had been so much blood. When he killed Mizuki it had been dark and he had been in such shock he didn't really remember the gory details. But, he had watched, pinned in place by shock, as the woman's kunai slid across the other boy's neck. He had seen the horror and pain flash in his eyes as his blood sprayed out of the wound briefly before sluggishly pouring down his neck as the life left his eyes.)_

They could find a hiding spot and the three of them could come up with a plan.

Actually, he turned his head, they should probably have Natsu leading since he could sense…

He froze.

Sasuke nearly fell from the tree branch when Naruto stopped abruptly, tugging him back unexpectedly by the arm.

He couldn't bring himself to feel bad.

_Because his brother wasn't behind them._

*

"We have to go back."

_Loud._

_Obnoxious._

_Stupid._

_Annoying._

There were many words that Sasuke used to describe Naruto throughout their Academy years. None of them were positive. He smiled too much and never seemed to take things seriously. Sasuke hated how he seemed to skirt by in the lessons despite all of his disruptions and pranks. For a long time, Sasuke assumed that he only managed decent grades because of his brother.

He had thought he'd be a failure of a shinobi.

He had thought he'd be a nightmare to have as a teammate.

But…

_It was a tiny grin, vastly different from his usual blinding smiles._

_"When I become Hokage, I'll make sure to send you on that mission."_

He was wrong.

It was funny, how he had gotten so used to that grin and laughter. It was something he could rely on with Naruto, regardless of the situation.

That's what made its absence all the more disturbing.

"Natsu, Natsu didn't follow. We have to go back." There was a tremble in his voice. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated in mounting terror. "Sasuke! We have to go back. Now!"

He made an aborted movement to leap back, but Sasuke caught him.

" _Sasuke!_ "

Anger.

The blond thrashed in his hold.

"Naruto! Listen!"

"No! Natsu is back there with that woman! She killed that guy without a second thought! We can't leave him there. We have to-"

His palm stung from the force of the slap. It jerked Naruto's head to the side and left him wide eyed in shock. Before the bell test, probably even before their mission in Wave, he would have been satisfied to be able to shut the boy up so completely. He probably would have taken joy out of managing to hurt someone who had been an annoyance to him for so long. But, now…

He grimaced and pulled it away from his teammate's cheek.

"We need a plan Naruto." He said as calmly as he could. "I'm not disagreeing with going back for Natsuki, but we need a plan. So…so just calm down."

His own heart was still racing form the sheer force of the killing intent that woman let out. He hadn't been able to breathe, much less move. He kept seeing his own death as though it was on a loop. It had been terrifying. Natsuki's sudden release of chakra had managed to kick start his brain, but he still hadn't been able to move even after Natsuki sent the signal to run.

_(In the back of his mind Kakashi-sensei's story repeated as though it was on a loop. What was the name of the boy who died? Obito. It was Obito Uchiha. There had been so much pain in Kakashi-sensei's eye at the mere mention of the boy; his sensei's former teammate. It made him consider what he'd do if one of his own teammates disappeared suddenly from his life. He didn't like the thought.)_

_We can't end up like them._ He took a deep breath, firming his resolve and calming his panicked heartbeat. _I won't let us end up like them._

Naruto looked down at his feet.

"Thanks." That soft, uncertain voice really didn't suit him, Sasuke decided.

"Right, now, let's figure this out."

"Yeah."

_Hold on Natsuki, you foolish idiot. We're coming._

*

"Your friends ran away." She smirked seemingly unbothered by his chakra hovering in the air. "That's a little rude. Should I go get them for you?"

"I won't let you touch them." He growled, lunging forward.

Chakra coated his hands turning his nails into claws. He scowled fiercely when he was met with air instead of his target. He leaped over several kunai thrown his way and landed upside down on the branch above him.

The woman looked up at him with a puzzled look on her face.

"You know. You are saner than a berserk jinchuuriki has any right to be."

He didn't reply. Instead, he lunged forward like he was going to try and strike her again. However, when she leaped out of the way, he twisted mid-air to position himself and lunged again as soon as his feet ghosted over the ground.

With a burst of chakra, he shot at her while she was still mid leap and caught her in the stomach.

Blood sprayed and he heard her gasp.

Then the body turned to mud.

He scowled and dodged another volley of weapons.

"Very good. You caught on quickly and adjusted your attack accordingly." She spoke as she eased herself out of the ground.

An earth jutsu? He didn't even see her form the hand signs for it.

"It's too bad you're not…"

He didn't give her enough time to finish. He didn't want to hear it. He just wanted to make sure that his team had enough time to get away. He just wanted to make sure she didn't hurt them. That she never hurt them.

He just wanted to make sure she ended up dead here.

_(Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Have to end this quickly, before Shukaku notices.)_

The woman was fast.

She struck at him with a single minded ferocity that had him barely dodging blows even with his heightened senses. He was decent at hand to hand combat and was fairly certain he could beat most of his peers unless they developed a completely different style since graduating from the Academy, but she was on another level. A punch grazed his cheek as he twisted to deliver a kick to her stomach. Instead of pulling back when his foot connected with her stomach he pushed himself back to give himself some space, but she was on him again in a second. He flared his chakra in irritation, which finally pushed her back.

She landed a few feet away and tugged at her singed sleeve. "So that chakra isn't just for show? You can actually use it as a weapon? Hm…this is a more interesting fight than I thought it would be. Show me more little jinchuuriki."

He sensed the surge in chakra a moment before the attack and dodged out of the way of a massive water snake. It cut through the forest to the right of him, uprooting the bushes and smaller plant life and creating long gashes in the trees as it passed.

He gritted his teeth as he landed on the side of a tree trunk.

That was definitely a B-rank jutsu and he didn't see her move her hands again. That shouldn't be possible. Everyone had to use the hand signs. It was how humans molded their chakra properly in order to do the complex jutsus they prized so highly.

Could she be?

He focused his senses on the area around him. He had been panicked and angry when he first started the fight, so he wasn't focusing on her chakra. He scowled as his hands flash through the signs.

" _Phoenix Flower_!"

The clearing lit up with tiny fire balls.

Instead of going for her still form in the middle of the clearing he focused the attack towards the branches of the tree opposite of him. He weaved them in a tight formation in order to prevent her from escaping.

To no avail.

With a step, she flashed away with the body flicker jutsu.

He didn't release the jutsu, however, and instead sent them after her concentrating on her chakra to make sure he wasn't being tricked by any clones again. They began a game of cat and mouse with Kurama's flames. The woman dodged around the clearing, using clones and the body replacement jutsu and body flicker jutsu when she was cornered.

He tensed when she suddenly disappeared.

He reached out for her chakra, but only got conflicting signatures.

"You're intelligent. I'll give you that, and the combination of that chakra and your sensory abilities is interesting, but you need to work on your spatial awareness." He tensed as her voice whispered softly just above him on the tree truck.

He tried to jump back into the clearing, but was stopped by the flames now scorching the grass. He released the _Phoenix Flower_ jutsu in shock.

His eyes widened.

_(Did she lead him around the clearing in order to corner me with the effects of my own jutsu?)_

"That chakra functions like flames and doesn't burn you when you surround yourself with it, but you're not flame proof yourself." She continued conversationally. There was an amused glint in her eye.

_Just who was this woman?!_

"It functions as a defense mechanism." She lunged forward with a kunai in hand aiming straight for his heart. With no time to pull out his own kunai, so he flared his chakra again in hopes of melting the metal before it touched him.

The kunai stopped centimeters above his heart, melting into droplets of iron that burned his chest where it dropped. He watched in vague horror as the skin on her hand was burned away by the flames. The smell of burnt flesh was suffocating up close.

He choked back a scream and glanced down.

Embedded in his upper thigh was another kunai.

She smirked. "However, despite being versatile in its defense and attack abilities, it's not an automatic defense. You direct it to where you want to protect, but in doing so you neglect other vulnerable parts of your body. An obvious solution would be to use even more chakra to cover your whole body in its protection, but you seem hesitant to do so. You flare your chakra briefly then bring it back to a smaller output. Could it be that you don't have much control over a larger output of power? Then again this is the Nine-tailed Fox's power, so it's likely you'll lose your mind if you use to much more…how disappointing."

He gritted his teeth as she pulled the kunai out releasing a spray of blood. He felt his vision waver almost immediately as the blood didn't stop. He clamped a hand over the wound, but the red liquid just leaked through his fingers.

"Like I said, you need more spatial awareness. I just struck your femoral artery. Most people would die from such a blow within minutes without immediate medical attention. Though knowing what I do about the Uzumaki and jinchuuriki healing abilities I doubt _you'll_ die as easily."

He slipped down the tree as he lost his grip on his chakra briefly due to the shock and pain. He landed harshly on his back amidst the flames caused by his jutsu. The woman followed with a graceful flip and landed by his head.

"It's been interesting little jinchuuriki. Much more interesting than I expected. However, I have to go now to find out where your little teammates ran off to."

The wound was deep and the blood just kept coming.

This wasn't good, even for him.

He could call up more chakra…

_(But, he wasn't sure how much more this body could take at this point. It might do more harm than good. And there was the ever present factor that was his biju brother whose jinchuuriki was running ramped somewhere in the forest…)_

She turned and started walking away.

He had to stop her!

He couldn't let her hurt them!

_(Think. Think!)_

"You're trying to get Sasuke, aren't you?" He growled lowly as he devoted chakra to his wound to try and heal it faster. The chakra still flickering around him faded as it was used to try and heal.

_(That was the only thing that made sense since she didn't seem to be interested in his own power and she had mentioned something about not planning for the other shinobi to be there when she first arrived. She must be after Sasuke's sharingan.)_

She laughed and continued walking.

_(He had to stop her.)_

"You're a clever one, aren't you? Be a good boy and stay right there. I promise I'll return your teammates to you in one piece." She turned and grinned at him. "Mostly."

He scowled at her fiercely, but she just laughed.

With shaky hands, he tugged off his obi and shoved it in his mouth before his hands ran through signs. His chakra was preventing him from completely bleeding out, but was still struggling to close the wound completely. With some time he'd be fine, but he didn't have time. If he wanted to get back into this fight he'd have to do something a bit drastic.

And painful.

He took a deep breath.

_'Exploding Flame Shot.'_

He jerked and clenched his jaw from the sheer agony the flash of flames caused. Even using only a little bit of chakra and under powering the jutsu it was still fire and it _burned_. Which was the point, ultimately. But that didn't stop the immediate regret he felt upon subjecting himself to the pain.

But, it did its job.

He shakily sat up on his elbows and looked over the damage. It was a nasty burn that probably wouldn't heal very well, but the wound was sealed. He let spat out his obi and rolled to his knees pushing back the spike of pain that movement cause with a single minded stubbornness.

"What in the world did you do that for?" She turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you seriously considering continuing this fight?"

Kurama couldn't quite form words just yet, so he settles for pushing all of his pain into a fierce glare. She took a step towards him again.

"Hey! You leave my brother alone you freak!"

Naruto dove into the clearing with a group of shadow clones.

"Oh, would you look at that your teammates came back for you. How sweet."

The clones charged toward the woman with loud battle cries, while the real Naruto darted over to Kurama.

He growled.

"I t **o** l **d** y **ou** t **o** **run**!"

_(C **an** 't **yo** u s **ee** **I'm** t **r** y **in** g t **o** p **rot** ec **t** y **ou!**?)_

His eyes widened in horror when Naruto suddenly stumbled and shook his head with a puzzled look on his face. The woman ignored the shadow clones and took the chance to strike.

"Naruto!"

He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_Wait…_

_That wasn't Naruto…?_

His eyes widened as Sasuke appeared in the smoke, hands in a familiar position.

_(They used body replacement like we did in the bell test…)_

" _Great Fireball_!"

The woman side stepped the direct attack with a body flicker and reached out to grab Sasuke, but he disappeared in another puff of smoke leaving Naruto who immediately created at least a dozen clones. The clones ran circles around the woman, who looked vaguely amused. Kunai and shrunken exploded from the branches of the tree behind her forcing her to dodge around both the clones and the weapons. The clones grabbed the weapons she dodged and threw them at her at close range or attacked her directly with them to keep her occupied. Though Kurama knew she was just fooling around like she had during their entire fight.

He shifted and raised his hands.

" _Pheonix Flower._ "

He didn't know his teammate's plan, but it was obvious they had one so he might as well help out since they decided to ignore his order to run. He directed the balls of flames to dance around the woman, closing any gaps she might have been able to slip out of. He shielded another volley of weapons from Sasuke with a quick illusion, but she dodged them anyway.

In fact, she still looked amused despite being on the defensive.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Naruto formed more hand signs.

" _Hand of Waves_!"

Kurama heard the echoing cry from the branches, though he couldn't see Sasuke from his position and he released his jutsu. It would have only been washed away by their own anyway. Twin gushes of water came from two directs, crushing the woman from either side while she was occupied with the clones.

However, his teammates weren't done yet.

With a tug from Naruto, the wires that had been weaved through the clearing since their re-entrance into the fight tightened, wrapping tightly around the woman and pinning her against a tree. The same one she had stabbed Kurama on he noticed vaguely.

With a crow of triumph, Naruto tossed his disguised Heaven scroll as Sasuke released his second Great Fireball jutsu. As soon as Sasuke's jutsu ran its course the exploding tags from Naruto's storage scroll exploded sending chunks of charred wood everywhere.

For a few minutes, the clearing was silent aside from their heavy panting.

Sasuke landed with a thump next to him sending him a partially concerned, partially livid look which made him cringe slightly. The boy opened his mouth as he glanced over Kurama's state.

He winced, he probably looked like hell.

His haori was slipping off of his right shoulder without his obi holding it in place and was torn and burnt. His shirt had gaping holes that were singed around the edges revealing the still healing burns from his melting of the kunai aimed for his heart. He was leaning heavily on his left leg, his right leg was a burnt mess peeking through the torn and burnt fabric of his pant leg. He was likely covered in dirt, ash, and blood on top of it all…

Whatever Sasuke was about to say died after he took in his appearance. The boy closed his mouth and sighed.

"Let's get you out of here. I'll let Naruto lecture you later."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto charging over his eyes reflecting the turmoil Kurama felt in his emotions. Kurama glanced away, unable to look at the fear and frustration any longer. Sasuke moved to wrap an arm around Kurama's shoulder before they both froze when a familiar laugh echoed through the destroyed clearing.

"Heh, that was a fancy bit of teamwork." The voice changed midway through the sentence into a deeper tenor that was more fit for a grown man than a woman…

The three of them turned in unison towards what should have been a corpse at this point.

He didn't have time to be properly disturbed by the peeling skin on the woman's (?) face, nor the gleaming golden eye peeking through the ripped skin around her (?) left eye. He couldn't even muster much shock when her…his hands flash through several seals and suddenly his neck was stretching across the distance at a rapid pace.

No, all he could do was lunge towards the frozen Sasuke and bring his arm up to try and block.

Fangs sunk into his forearm, tearing through skin and muscle making him grit his teeth from the sudden pain from both his arm and his leg.

However, he couldn't hold back a shriek when he felt the invasion of foreign chakra into his system. His eyesight dimmed worryingly and his vision spun, but he could still make out the rapidly forming seal on his arm. Just above where this woman…man…no…monster still had his fang like teeth in his skin.

_(Not another seal!)_

He choked back another scream when the shinobi narrowed his eye and jerked away tearing even more skin.

"That wasn't meant for you." He growled showing something other than amusement since the start of the fight.

His response was cut off by another wave of pain coursing through him like a rushing river.

It's vocal point being the new seal.

_(That disgusting chakra was trying to invade his system!)_

_(No!)_

_(NO!)_

_(N **O**!)_

His vision blurred for an entirely different reason as his mind flickered in and out of his mindscape while he fought back against the chakra invading his system.

_Blink._

He was staring down at the cracked glass below him. There were a lot more cracks than when he had first entered it back when Mizuki kidnapped him. They almost spread across the entire cage.

_Blink._

His vision was blurry and his ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton. He felt an arm around his shoulder and a panicked voice in his ear, but he couldn't distinguish the words being said. There was screaming in the distance along with explosions.

_Blink._

Outside of the bars, he could see a slowly forming shape. It was shadowy and wavered in the light of his red chakra.

_Blink._

It was Naruto screaming, he realized. He was screaming at the enemy shinobi as he dove at her…him…repeatedly, eyes blazing.

_Blink._

The shadowy figure was speaking, but it was distorted. Kurama took a step back as it reached out towards him.

_You…?...can give…power...if…_

He blinked and remained in his mind as he tried to puzzle through the words. When he caught onto the intention he laughed. A full belly laugh at the sheer absurdity. The shadowy figure pulled back slightly. Kurama wiped the tears from his eyes still chuckling.

_(As if a mere mortal could tempt him with power.)_

Red chakra seeped from the cracks beneath his feet.

_(He already had power.)_

The shadowy figure pulled back further.

_(More than the mortal could ever dream of.)_

"Get out." He whispered.

_Blink._

He watched in a daze as the foreign chakra exploded from the bite mark, chased out by the red flames of his own chakra and dissipating into the air. The hands on his shoulder tightened their grip as he slumped. His legs giving out beneath him. He glanced up to find Sasuke's worried face hovering over his own.

"Ah-" He choked on his words as a strong grip tightened around his neck and pulled him bodily from his teammates grasp.

As he struggled to breathe he couldn't help but notice just how disturbing their enemy looked with the sagging, torn and burnt flesh still clinging to his face. The single golden eye was visible through the torn skin was narrowed in irritation, but held a spark of interested that Kurama recognized as dangerous despite how scattered his thoughts were from the pain and lack of oxygen.

"That was an interesting thing you just did." He murmured. Kurama couldn't help but notice that his lips were no longer synch with his words. He also noticed how his vision was growing darker around the edges. "You've been doing a lot of interesting things throughout this whole little fight, haven't you? But, that was the most interesting, I think."

Kurama summoned enough strength to glare.

"What are you?" The single golden eye drilled into his own as though he was examining his very soul. "No…perhaps the better question would be…who are you?"

"He's my teammate!" Sasuke growled. "And you don't let him go this instant…"

The eye shifted.

"I will get to you in a minute Sasuke Uchiha. Don't you worry." Kurama was lifted higher. "You ruined my plans you know. This wasn't how this little fight was supposed to go."

The man sighed in disappointment before setting Kurama down, much to his surprise. He swayed as he gasped for much-needed air. He would have fallen had Sasuke not pulled him back and held him up with one arm. His other held a kunai out in front of them as if that would do any good in light of their enemy's superior skill.

Perhaps he wasn't the only one not thinking clearly.

The shinobi glanced away from them briefly instead of attacking

"It seems as though I've run out of time." He murmured to himself. He turned his strange golden eye back on them after a moment of what looked like deep thought. "Alright, I have to go now. I have to prepare another seal for you Sasuke and shake off a troublesome former student. Next time I won't miss, little Uchiha." He chuckled as he studied them for a minute, his eye lingering on Sasuke before turning to examine Kurama. "Try not to get in my way again…Uzumaki Natsuki? Was it?"

He tilted his head to the side as if they were sharing a joke.

_(There was no way…)_

Then he was gone.

Kurama let out a breath as his body sagged. He dragged Sasuke down with him and they sat panting for a full minute as Kurama tried to organize his scattered thoughts. Everything hurt. His arm, leg, neck, head.

Everything.

He closed his eyes and took a measured breath and let it out slowly.

_(Where…)_

His eyes snapped open and he glanced around frantically.

"Naruto?" He rasped as panic made his settled heart pick up speed again.

Sasuke groaned and pointed a shaky hand over towards a speck blond, black and orange Kurama could make out on the other side of the clearing.

"He…" Sasuke panted. "He…freaked out when that snake freak bit you…was going at him like crazy…but…that guy did something and knocked him unconscious."

"Ah…" He replied.

Relief flooded his system.

His vision blurred one last time before completely fading.

He was unconscious before his head hit the ground.

Even the resulting crack didn't wake him.

*

He stared into the forest.

Grains of sand swirled around him restlessly as he focused solely on the raging chakra in the distance.

He wouldn't have noticed it if mother hadn't suddenly shrieked louder than her usual shrieking then went deathly silent.

Through mother he could feel the lick of chakra swirling in the distance. It swelled, lashing out and churned in barely suppressed power before seeming to fade completely from his mother's senses.

He had never felt another person's chakra before.

It was odd.

He could feel mother's restlessness as the chakra faded.

Grains of sand lashed out at the empty air around him.

"Gaara…?" Kankuro's voice was soft as though he was trying not to startle him.

Gaara ignored him and tilted his head.

_Mother?_

"Gaara, please. We've gotten the other scroll. Let's go to the tower now…" Tamari sounded strained as she moved to take a step towards him but decided against it and remained where she was.

He blinked and glanced down at his current state.

It was probably the blood.

His sister never really liked seeing him covered in his prey's blood.

Mother shifted within him, and he focused his attention on the demon within him. What did mother want him to do about the strange chakra? He felt a bubble of excitement at the thought of a fight. Everyone had been so weak so far even though he was promised strong opponents in return for not slaughtering random shinobi before the plan went into action. The team that he was currently covered in the blood of had been so weak. They screamed and cried when he caught hold of them and died with barely a fight.

That chakra, though, it felt strong. Its owner's blood would be a good gift for mother.

_**His fault. His fault! Stupid Kurama! Make him pay! Kill! Kill!** _

Mother's orders tore through his mind with familiar shrillness and rage, but there was an unfamiliar hint of fear.

Mother was very upset at this odd chakra.

His lips curved into a wide grin, making his siblings flinch and take a step back.

"Yes, mother."

He would make his mother proud and destroy it.

Maybe she'd even let him sleep, just a little bit.

_(His existence was the only one that mattered. He would affirm it with the death of this person who held such odd chakra that made his mother shriek in fear and rage and he would eliminate any shinobi who got in the way.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such a horrible procrastinator. This should have been done and posted a week ago, but I ran into a creative block with the fight with Orochimaru and pouted over it while playing civ for longer than I should have. Basically, I struggle with fight scenes in general and this one, in particular, gave me hell. I knew how I wanted it to end, but I didn't know how I was going to get there. I'm happy with it now and glad I took the time to tinker and rewrite it instead of rushing, but I'm sorry regardless for the wait.
> 
> Anyway, how was Orochimaru in this chapter? Lol, it was really hard to keep referring to him as 'she', had to go back and edit the fight afterward to catch where I slipped up and use male pronouns. I think in the manga the grass nin he stole the face from was male, but the anime referred to him as female until he revealed himself so I just went with that. Orochimaru is interesting to write because he's one of the few major antagonists in Naruto that are allowed to be completely villainous without any justifications for his actions (Which is why I find the fact that he was the only one to actually get out scot free at the end of the anime/manga both interesting and hilarious). He's also an arrogant son of a b and that's always fun to write. Extremely smart and powerful, yet a little too arrogant is my favorite type of villain. It's a classic.
> 
> I'm not sure about Gaara though. An unstable bloodthirsty child is hard to write.


	21. Chapter 21

He watched the red-haired jinchuuriki disappear into the brush with his siblings trailing reluctantly behind and let out a silent sigh.

Well, that could have gone better.

In the beginning, it was going quite well. He had lured the sacrificial Ame team to the Suna siblings in order to get the unstable jinchuuriki out of the forest as quickly as possible so that Orochimaru's plan would be able to proceed as smoothly as possible. It also had the added bonus of getting rid of any potential headaches during their invasion later.

There was always a chance that the teams sent to the chunin exam would die, so there was an agreement between all the village participating not to use the death of one of their genin as an incitement of war towards the host village.

However, should the host village suffer from an invasion mid exam which resulted in the death of a genin not involved in the conflict? Well, Oto could very well face a declaration of war from one of the participating villages for inciting the violence. Regardless of whether they destroyed or took over Konoha or not, they could not take on another village at the size and strength they were now. The only reason they had a chance with Konoha was because they knew the strengths and weakness of the village's infrastructure and were employing subterfuge instead of going through the official channels for war.

So, between his other missions from his master he made it his goal to weed out the other village's teams in preparation for Orochimaru's invasion. Ibiki's first exam made it easy for him. A few off-handed comments here, some subtle genjutsus there, and even a touch of poison to induce severe stomach cramping for the more stubborn ones, was all that it took to have most of them giving up or being caught during the exam. They probably thought that their nerves got the best of them and would return to their village in shame.

All he had to do was focus on making sure the remaining teams had some accidents during this portion of the exam and they wouldn't have to worry about a declaration of war.

He aimed for the big fish first.

Within the first hour, the Sand team had both Heaven and Earth scrolls thanks to his meddling.

He had hidden high within the branches and watched as the jinchuuriki tore through the Ame team and very nearly killed a Konoha team that had been spying on them.

However, things only went downhill from there.

Kabuto sighed and started off towards the meeting site.

He wasn't a natural born chakra sensor, but he had trained enough to recognize the surge in chakra where Orochimaru was supposed to be testing the Uchiha. However, it didn't seem as though the test went as originally planned if the surge of Kyuubi chakra was any indicator. Kabuto hadn't been worried, his master was strong after all. He would not lose to genin even if two of them were jinchuuriki. But then the Shukaku's container had reacted strangely, freezing and staring off into the distance until the chakra slowly faded away.

And now the boy was charging through the forest towards their general direction instead of heading towards the tower.

Kabuto shook his head. This was troublesome but manageable. As long as the Uchiha was taken care of, everything would be fine.

Nearly half an hour later he landed lightly on the branch and raised an eyebrow.

"Did Anko give you that much trouble?" He asked softly, though he knew that it wasn't the case.

Anko wasn't known for fire jutsus after all.

However, there were at least two other's that he knew were based on his research into the Konoha's genin. Orochimaru chuckled as he slowly peeled away the last of the damaged skin revealing untouched ivory behind.

_(Like a snake shedding.)_

"No, little Anko likes to act tough, but she wasn't much trouble at all. I made sure of that years ago."

Kabuto nodded. "So, I take it your mission with the Uchiha didn't exactly go as planned?"

Orochimaru hummed, his eyes distant.

"Yes, there were some unexpected factors I didn't consider. I suppose it's my own fault though I hadn't given much stock in the Uzumaki's strength despite your reports. The younger one was…fascinating."

Kabuto felt a smirk touch his lips as he shook his head. He had been keeping an eye on both the Uzumaki's throughout the first part of the exam to judge whether there was a need to corral them like he had to with the Suna jinchuuriki. He may have played his hand a little too much when teasing him, but it had been amusing to watch the emotions dance through his odd eyes that flickered between colors and gave away much more than the boy probably intended or wanted.

Of course, his master's interest was likely less benign than Kabuto's fleeting amusement. He had that look on his face again. A look that tended to spell trouble for the recipient of his interest. He almost felt bad for the little Uzumaki.

"Well you got your mark on Uchiha, right? So we can proceed as planned. I'll inform the other's to attack the group to test how well he's taken to it…" He paused when he saw Orochimaru's eyes sharpen tellingly. "You…did mark him, didn't you?"

"No."

"Well…that is…" He wasn't sure what to say.

However, his master seemed to understand what he meant even without words.

"Yes, it is rather troublesome, isn't it?"

He frowned. Orochimaru didn't look as upset as Kabuto would have thought him to be considering the man had been planning for months to use the younger Uchiha as his next body. In fact, Kabuto privately thought that this whole invasion was just one of his master's dramatic antics to call attention away from his true target. Though most of the Oto shinobi believed unquestionably in the cause, Kabuto wouldn't have lived this long without learning to recognize a losing battle.

He took a breath.

"So, what would you like me to do now that the plans have changed?" Better play it safe and not pry.

Orochimaru hummed and stared off into the forest for a moment. "Send Team Dosu after them as planned. If the Uchiha can't handle them then I won't bother preparing a new seal. However, if Sasuke manages to drive them off…well, I suppose I'll have to pay Team Seven another visit before this part of the exam finishes…of course, now that Anko found me I'll have to be more careful…but there isn't a lot of security inside the forest…"

Kabuto nodded, but hesitate to leave even with his master's idle wave of dismissal. Orochimaru turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"There was another complication on my end." He paused trying to find the best way to word it. "The Sand team took care of the Ame team I led to them and gained their second scroll. However, it appears as though your battle with the jinchuuriki caught his attention. He is now moving in their direction, though I highly doubt he'll be able to find them now that the chakra has died down."

"I see." His master sighed, annoyance flashing across his face. "Well, we can't have our bomb going off at the wrong time. If he can't be convinced to go to the tower then make sure he doesn't interfere."

"Of course sir. I'll seek out Baki tonight to inform him of the situation and learn what they do to prevent casualties."

Orochimaru made a derisive noise in the back of his throat. Kabuto held back a smirk. His master had made his opinion very clear on the subject of Suna's handling of their jinchuuriki. Or lack thereof. If they weren't necessary for bolstering their numbers he highly doubted the man would have involved them.

"You do that. I trust that you'll find some way to corral the boy even if Baki proves to be useless."

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama." He gave a little mock bow and spun on his heel to inform Team Dosu of their mission.

"Kabuto…" He froze and glanced back. Orochimaru was staring into the distance, eyes clouded in thought. "Tell me, what is the point of a cage?"

He paused.

What brought this up?

"A cage? As in a physical cage or a psychological one?"

Orochimaru smirked. "Both."

_(So this had to do with the jinchuuriki…what exactly had the boy done to warrant such interest? Unless…)_

"Did…did you place the seal on him instead of the Uchiha?"

Orochimaru merely hummed in response, still waiting for the answer to his questions. Kabuto grimaced. Well, this was an odd turn of events. He dug around for a suitable answer.

"I suppose a cage would be used to keep something inside. Something dangerous, or at least something that is deemed dangerous by the cage's creator."

He had never shown much interest in the biju. The only reason his master had joined that organization was to get in contact with the older Uchiha.

Did Orochimaru come in contact with the Kyuubi?

When he initiated the seal, perhaps? His master had never fully explained the mechanics of the curse seals to him, but it was possible considering its nature that he got a peek into the mind of his victim.

"So, tell me Kabuto…" Orochimaru tilted his head up to look at the slowly darkening sky. "What is the point of an empty cage?"

 

*

 

Sasuke sighed as he finished dragging his teammates to the bushes just outside of the clearing they fought in. He'd have to move them further soon, but for now, he took a small break to assess possible injuries that might be irritation by a longer journey.

Naruto was scrapped up with some lazily bleeding cuts, but nothing seemed to be too deep. He had a nasty bump on his head from where he hit the ground when that shinobi did…well, whatever he did to Naruto. He wasn't sure since most of his focus was on Natsuki at the time, but he thought that he had seen a hint of red in Naruto's eyes when he went berserk on the shinobi.

If he had to hazard a guess, whatever happened to him had to do with the demon fox sealed inside.

He pulled open his jacket and pushed up his shirt to see how bad the damage was, but only found some bruising that would likely hurt when the blond moved later, but it didn't look like anything was broken.

He almost sighed in relief before his eyes drifted over to his other teammate.

Natsuki…

He glanced over his other teammate with a grimace.

_That damn fool._

He dug through Naruto's pockets till he found a scroll labeled Med-Supplies and sorted through its contents. It was surprisingly well stocked he noted distantly as he tore open a packet of antiseptic. He removed the rough bandage he had made out of his own sleeve to at least cover the nasty bite mark on Natsuki's arm and winced as the wound was revealed once more. Taking a breath he forced himself to dab it thoroughly with the antiseptic pad after wiping away the excess blood. He wrapped it tightly with crisp white bandages grimacing at the way they sagged slightly instead of remaining taunt to stim the blood flow. He excelled in every lesson at the academy including their lessons on basic medical aid, but here when he was actually trying to use those lessons he failed miserably.

He blamed his shaking hands.

_(He resolutely ignored the reason why they were shaking. Damn fool. Is that what he felt like when Sasuke had jumped in front of him during their battle at the bridge? If so, then he'd never do that sort of thing again. His heart was still racing and he felt like throwing up as the image of Natsuki leaping in front of him then screaming in sheer agony replayed on a loop in his mind.)_

With the bite mark taken care of he went on to examine the bump on his head. Like Naruto, he had hit the ground pretty hard, but it didn't look like either had actually cracked their skulls. Though judging by the size of the bumps on both of them, they'd have a serious headache when they woke up.

_(If they woke up.)_

He grimaced and pushed that thought away.

Finally, he turned his gaze to the wound he had been avoiding. Just seeing a glimpse of it through Natsuki's torn pant leg made him nauseous. He hesitated over it for a few seconds before shaking his head in disgusted with himself at the hesitation and pulled the fabric away.

_Shit._

**_Shit._ **

_What the hell Natsuki!?_

He took a deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it. His thoughts raced. Why would he take such drastic measures? Natsuki himself had told him that both he and his brother healed faster due to the Kyuubi's power within them. So, why…why would he do this to himself?

Unless…

He frowned as he looked over the mess, his mind flashing through memories of anatomy lessons.

Sasuke sighed.

Well, that answered that he supposed. He wasn't sure how well their healing factor worked, but it stood to reason it didn't cover immediately fatal wounds. He rocked back on his heels, trying to recall what he should do for burns. The sharp crack of a branch made him freeze. He flattened himself on the ground and focused on the noise.

Sure enough, after a minute breathing as shallowly as possible, he heard the soft mutter of bickering voices.

"No one's here…"

"Damn, I thought for sure that we'd be able to slip in and snatch a scroll."

"Well, we should probably get out of here…is that…oh, Kami is that a body?"

That voice sounded familiar. He lifted his head and peered through the foliage. Sure enough, he recognized the pink hair of his number one stalker. He grimaced. Judging by the way the group was looking horrified at the sight of the dead Ame shinobi they'd leave soon. He could simply wait for them to go or…

He glanced at his unconscious teammates.

Before they were attacked by that…that monster he was been confident in his ability to defend them, but that thing had skills way beyond what genin were supposed to have. And if there was one coach roach, there was likely a nest of them.

_"What is Konoha's greatest strength?"_

How many times had he heard that question throughout the academy? It was Iruka-sensei's favorite and was met with sighs and groans as the years progressed. Sasuke himself had always rolled his eyes, thinking he'd do just fine without other people holding him back.

He glanced back at the Uzumaki twins and sighed.

_(He would prefer any other team than them…but he supposed beggars can't be choosers.)_

He eased his way out of the bush, hands up and free of weapons.

"Hey."

He immediately had to dodge a poorly thrown barrage of weapons to his annoyance before the group recognized him.

"Sasuke-kun!"

While the pink haired girl looked ecstatic her teammates frowned and slid into fight positions. He held back a scoff, reminding himself that he was the one asking for help.

"Were you the one that fought here?" The blond one asked suspiciously, eyes drifting to the corpse briefly.

"My team and I were ambushed while we were trying to get information on the Ame shinobi's scroll. The person who ambushed us killed the Ame nin and then attacked us. He…was too powerful to be a genin. Both Naruto and Natsuki are injured because of him." He took a breath. "I…need your help protecting them till they wake up."

"Of course-"

The blond slapped a hand over Sakura's mouth with a scowl.

"Why should we? You heard the proctor, we're all enemies here. Where are your teammates? You could be trying to trick us."

He bit back a retort and answered as calmly as he could.

"My teammates are in the bushes over there. Both of them are unconscious. If you're really so suspicious then go look yourselves."

The team exchanged glances. Sakura looked livid at her teammate's intervention but didn't protest further than a sharp glare. Sasuke was both relieved and annoyed. He was banking on her fangirling even if he wasn't looking forward to it. He didn't really take into account how her teammates might react.

It was annoying, but understandable considering the situation. In light of this, he pretended to not hear their hushed conversation and tried not to glare when the shorter blond one insulted him relentlessly. He didn't set out to make friends in the academy, but he was fairly certain he didn't do anything to warrant such an attitude. He just ignored people. Maybe he beat him in sparing or something.

"Sasuke-kun is not a liar!" Sakura whisper-shouted and he held back a wince.

"Oh shut up," The dirty blond one huffed. His voice just as loud despite the frantic hand-waving of their other teammate. "He's a shinobi and shinobi are liars. He probably saw you and thought we were easy pickings."

"Well, he hasn't attacked us yet…" Murmured the taller brunette. The only one in the group that Sasuke had to strain to hear.

"He said his teammates are injured." Sakura glanced at the dead body nervously. "Regardless of what that lady said, we can't just let other Konoha shinobi die because we were too suspicious. What would sensei say?"

That seemed to sway the blond slightly and he scowled at the ground.

"Are you done deciding?" He kept his face blank and his voice calm, but apparently that still irritated the blond who turn his scowl towards him.

The boy glanced at his teammates. "What's in it for us?"

"Hasegawa!" Sakura snapped.

But, the boy looked determined.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He really didn't want to do this but….

_(His mind flashed unwillingly to the burn wound on Natsuki's leg. The bite on his arm, a wound that he only got because of Sasuke. Because Sasuke was too slow. Too weak. So pathetic that his teammate had to jump in and take a blow for him.)_

"Our scroll." He sighed. Three pairs of surprised eyes jerked towards him, the beginning of another bickering match falling silent on slack lips. "We have the Heaven scroll. I'll give it to you."

"We have the Earth scroll." The taller one muttered softly. A hand unconsciously going to the pouch on his belt.

Did they even bother to put protections on it? Sasuke tried to ignore how easy it would be to just take theirs and be done with the test. He could take out all three of them, but he'd be left where he started and his teammates might suffer for it.

The blond sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Fine. Where are your teammates again?"

Sasuke felt his shoulders slump slightly.

"They're over here."

He pushed passed the bushes and knelt by Natsuki again.

"Well shit." He heard the blond mutter as Sakura gasped loudly.

He ignored them and reacted for another packet of antiseptic cream. It shouldn't hurt to put that on the burn wound before he wrapped it. He felt one of the three lean over his shoulder and winced when they choked in his ear at the sight.

"Kenta!" Sakura exclaimed when the tallest in their group pulled away looking sick.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes and continued treating the wound. He winced with every whimper Natsuki let out and tried to ignore the way his face twisted in pain as Sasuke wrapped the wound.

He turned to the three pale shinobi behind him.

"Ok, I think they're ok to move now. Can you help me get them to a safer place to bunk down for the night?"

He turned to meet bright green eyes more serious than he had ever seen before. Sakura nodded resolutely and turned to her teammates.

"Kenta get Naruto and Hasegawa get Natsuki! Come on, we should hurry up and get out of here. I'm sure other teams will have the same idea as us and start heading over."

Sasuke watched as the taller one, Kenta, heaved Naruto over his should easily, but the blond, on the other hand, had to maneuver Natsuki around to find the best way to hold him. He raised an eyebrow. Natsuki and this…Hasegawi were the same height. They looked ridiculous.

He took a step forward. "I can help carry Natsuki."

But, Sakura shook her head and wave him off. He raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed but stayed resolute.

"You're the best fighter here, Sasuke-kun. If we get into trouble you're going to need your hands-free to defend."

He sighed and nodded. "Alright, lets-"

"Oboro?"

They froze.

"Oh shit…Kagari…shit. Kagari I think I f-found him."

Sasuke's eyes darted to the field. Two more Ame shinobi had entered it and were hesitantly making their way towards their fallen comrade. He curses silently. He had grown so used to Natsuki's freaky sensory ability that he didn't even realize he had relaxed his guard. He shook his head and turned to the frozen team beside him. They stared wide-eyed at him.

He sighed and gestured for them to go in the opposite directions. Quietly. They nodded and began to move. He winced at the sound of rustling leaves and broken twigs. Even Naruto was quieter than that, and Natsuki was practically a ghost when he wanted to be. He kept his eyes on the two in the field, but neither seemed to notice the noise.

"Oboro! Oboro, dammit. Dammit!"

One of them was cradling the body gently, seemingly unable to say a word, while the other paced and cursed.

He grimaced and turned away to follow the other team.

Despite telling himself that he should be paying more attention to their surroundings, his eyes still lingered on his limp teammates for longer than they should have.

It took them the better part of two hours to find a safe nook. By the time they managed to tuck Naruto and Natsuki in the dark corner of a small cave the sun was almost set and the four of them were exhausted from avoiding other teams and carrying the unconscious. At one point, Sasuke and Sakura had to take a turn carrying his teammates, which was probably the most nerve-racking part of their journey.

He wasn't fond of relying on others. He could push his doubts to the back of his mind with his teammates because they were decent shinobi in their own right. But, Sakura's teammates? Well, Naruto might have ended up with a few more bruises from his tense hold on the blond. However, despite a few close calls, they found a safe place away from that horrid clearing and hopefully away from any other teams as well. He hoped that Natsuki woke up soon. Freaky or not, his ability was useful in this type of situation.

His hand hovered over his disguised scroll for a brief moment before he sighed and reached into Naruto's pockets to get the real scroll.

He handed them the scroll with a scowl. "Here. We put it in a storage scroll to hide it better. You can take it out or keep it in to protect it."

Hasegawa took it looking oddly thoughtful.

"Thanks… I guess you're not such a bad guy after all, even though you're a clan kid." He glanced back at his teammates and then up at the quickly fading light.

In the distance, they could hear the sound of fighting. The clang of weapons and the roar of jutsus. If he squinted he could see the flashes of some sort-of fire jutsu. He glanced back at the team, noting their uneasy faces. He sighed.

"Help me set up traps and take care of my team and you guys can stay here tonight."

_(He'd rather them leave, but he supposed it was extra protection just in case an enemy team decided he was easy prey.)_

The way Sakura face lit up was slightly disconcerting, but Hasegawa's not so subtle gagging noises were slightly amusing. Surprisingly enough Sakura proved fairly useful in setting up traps. Using some of Naruto's huge arsenal they set up several around the entrance along with others further out in the forest to alert them of anyone's approach.

He cast one last look at his teammates as he sat down at the entrance of the cave. He turned back towards the moonlit forest and sighed.

_(He hoped they woke up soon so that they could finish this stupid test and get out of this horrid forest.)_

He turned his gaze to the moon briefly to gauge its position in the sky.

It was going to be a long night.

 

*

 

Kankuro looked away from the bodies his stomach rolling. He glanced at Tamari wishing, not for the first time, that he had her ability to remain mostly stoic during their brother's rampages. He knew his face was always twisted in disgust and he had to fight back nausea for hours afterward. However, this situation was a little different than most and he could tell by Tamari's clenched fists she's was struggling to keep a hold of her expression.

His eyes drifted over to the only non-mutilated body in the clearing. The one that had already been dead upon their arrival. The shinobi's teammates didn't even know what hit them when Gaara entered with his swirling sands and twisted smile. They had been mourning, barely able to react to their appearance and completely unable to fight back against Gaara's single-minded bloodlust.

"Gaara…" Tamari started slowly. Though her face was still blank, her voice had a faint tremble to it as it always did when talking to their psychotic little brother. "Can we go to the tower now? It's almost midnight…and-"

Gaara stood abruptly from where he had been looking at a splatter of blood on the ground. They both flinched back as he looked at them silently. Without a word he turned and walked back into the forest. Decidedly not in the direction of the tower.

"I guess that answers that question," Kankuro muttered.

"We don't even know what he's after." Tamari sighed, running a hand through her hair. "This isn't in his usual pattern of behavior."

They shrugged at one another helplessly before starting off after him.

He sighed.

It looked like they wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

 

*

 

A picture frame fell from the nightstand with a thump.

Yūgao woke with a start hand automatically reaching under the pillow for her katana. She relaxed slowly when no one attacked her and slowly blinked her eyes open. Her hand moved from the hilt of her katana to the cold sheets beside her. She frowned and sat up.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and she moved to stand, but pain laced up her right heel when she tried.

"Shit!"

She sat back down and flicked on the lamp.

For a long moment, she stared uncomprehendingly at the broken picture frame and glass now embedded in her foot. Her blood dripped over the picture, obscuring her and Hayate's faces.

"Hayate?" She called out.

No one answered.

 

*

 

He glanced at the sky.

Just past midnight, he should probably turn in for the night. Yūgao would worry if she woke up only to find him gone. He glanced over the area one last time. The rooftops were speckled with wavering moonlight as clouds drifted by slowly.

A movement caught his eye.

An anbu dashed silently across the rooftops towards the hotel the Sand shinobi were staying.

He didn't move immediately, mind running through the scheduled routes in this area. His hands flashed through the signs for the Transparent Escape jutsu before he stood slowly and moved after the shinobi, a kunai in hand. When the shinobi slipped into a window he flattened himself against the wall to listen.

"Baki-san, it seems as though your student is acting out in the forest." A soft voice began almost patronizingly.

"What set him off?" Hayate recognized the gruff voice of Baki. He didn't sound particularly pleased at the news, but he wasn't shocked either. "He hasn't gone completely berserk, has he?"

Hayate frown. Were his suspicions over the young redhead true? If so...and he was losing control in the forest with the rest of the genin…

His grip tightens on the kunai.

"I don't know for sure, but I have my suspicions. There are, after all, two others in the forest like him. One was in a particularly difficult fight today, throwing around its chakra everywhere."

"I see." Baki paused. "Well, there's nothing you can do, if that's what you came here for. No one can control him. If he wants to hunt, then he will stop at nothing to get his prey."

"This could ruin all our plans." There was an edge to the other man's voice now. A warning.

"I believe I expressed my own worries over this before the plan went into motion. I made it very clear that using him in such a way was risky at best, catastrophic at worst." There was no smugness to the man's voice, just a tired explanation that had the tonal inflection of repeated use.

Although Hayate couldn't see him from his position, he could image him rubbing his forehead in the way the Hokage did when forced into a situation he wanted no part of. He narrowed his eyes. So this went straight up to the Kazekage then. From what Hayate understood, Baki was a higher up in Suna. He was on the council and was in charge of training Kazekage's own children. Hayate doubted anyone, but the Kazekage himself could order him to do something against his will.

"I see." The warning was gone. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to figure out how to corral him on my own then. Who knows, perhaps we can make this work for our plan."

"Suna will not act until the last minute. We have a plausible deniability with Gaara's unstable seal if things go south. Don't expect us to continue with your plan."

He tuned out the conversation. He had heard just about enough. He needed to tell the Hokage so that they could pull the genin out of the forest, deal with what was undoubtedly an unstable jinchuuriki and possibly prevent what sounded like a mutiny.

He shifted, ready to push himself off of the wall.

"Oh, and since I'm already in an awful mood, why don't I take care of the little mouse outside the window?"

Hayate didn't even hear Baki's response, he was moving within half a second. Up over the edge of the roof then leaping to the next one, racing as fast as he could toward the Hokage tower. He glanced at the sky. If he was lucky he could run into some patrols that-

He dove into a roll to avoid a barrage of kunai.

Hayate glanced back and sucked in a sharp breath.

He recognized that face.

Hayate had memorized the face of every genin taking the exam. Kabuto Yakushi. A genin who had failed the test seven times. He leaped over a kick and flipped away. He glanced at the young man one last time before turning tail and running.

He nearly ran straight into Baki.

He leaped to the left and paused eyes darting for an escape route.

In the distance, he saw a patrol.

He put his fingers to his mouth and let loose a shrill whistle.

_Danger. Help._

Baki dove towards him with what looked like some kind of wind jutsu in hand. He whipped out his katana and redirect the blow, sliding back from the impact. He grimaced and glanced back at the patrol.

His eyes widened.

"What's the matter?" Kabuto laughed pushing his glasses up. They reflected the moonlight ominously. "Did you expect them to help you? Too bad for you, those aren't the kind of backup you want. I used to work with them, you know. Very…stoic. In any case, they've been ordered to ignore any odd activity and divert other patrols that try to interfere with my master's plan. Dunno what the old warbird is planning, but lucky us. Right?"

Hayate's eyes winded as he tried to fit together the pieces to no avail. His distraction cost him.

He choked as a kunai drove into his left shoulder.

He jumped back to put some distance between him and the Suna shinobi.

Hayate glanced between the too. Baki was grimly determined, while Kabuto was still grinning. He grimaced and shifted his grip.

" _Dance of the Crescent Moon._ "

_Transparent Escape._

As his three shadow clones attack Baki, he took off again towards the Hokage tower. This was important. He couldn't fool around fighting. He had to get this information to the Hokage at all cost. The genin were in danger. _His_ genin were in danger.

He didn't even feel where the senbon hit.

He went down with a choked gasp as his right leg was suddenly unable to hold his weight. He glanced down wincing at the sight of five senbon embedded in his leg. He couldn't even feel the blood running down his leg. There must have been some kind of numbing agent. Or poison. Though he had been in enough spars with Genma that he was mostly immune to many of the more lethal concoctions.

"That was a good trick." Kabuto landed on the roof with his grin still firmly in place. "Baki fell for it. Even I almost fell for it."

"You talk big for a genin." Hayate growled digging his katana into the ground to leverage himself to his feet.

Kabuto laughed. "Genin, Chunin, Jounin. Anbu. They're such arbitrary titles. We're shinobi, aren't we? Why even bother using them? Why give our enemies more information about our own skill level?"

"Why are you doing this? Why betray your own village?"

He laughed. "It's not really betrayal if you were never loyal? Is it?"

The numbness was spreading across his leg and down to his toes, but he could put some weight on it now. He lifted his katana.

"Finally attacking? Or are you going to run away again?"

" _Hazy Moon Night._ "

The blade spun in his hand, leaving afterimages behind. Kabuto tensed, but he wasn't quite prepared for the speed of his attack. No one really was. The blast dug into his shoulder, leaving the kunai he had raised in defense useless as he lost all movement in his right arm.

" _Chakra Scalpel._ " The grey-haired man growled. His other hand coming up and grazing Hayate's side as he pulled back.

He yanked his blade out roughly, hoping to cause even more damage and fled again as he caught sight of Baki heading their way.

He weaved through the rooftops. Taking sharp turns and risky jumps to try and throw his attackers off.

He didn't make it far.

He nearly slid off of a building when his vision blurred suddenly. He caught himself on the ledge but had to bite back a howl as the wound in his side tore open even more. He panted harshly, trying to ignore the pain. He glanced in the window to his left.

An apartment.

He was in one of the civilian sectors if his memories were correct. If he woke someone, then he'd only be putting untrained citizens at risk.

He gritted his teeth and slowly started to pull himself back onto the roof. Blood dripped off of him as steady as a soft rain onto the street below. When he got back to the roof he grimaced as his leg no longer responded at all. He was sweating, dizzy and shaking. Poison probably. Or severe blood loss. Or both.

He crawled away from the slanted ledge and onto the flat rooftop to prop himself up against the stairwell wall. He could see the tower in the distance, but his vision was too blurry to focus on it completely. He turned his attention to his wounded side briefly, then his katana hilt. His shoulder burned from the wound Baki delivered. His chunin vest was ripped through, leaving the sleeve underneath hanging loosely down his arm, so he tore it off. The numbness from the senbon needles was spreading up into his hips and moving continuously upward, but he finished the seal even as his hands shook.

Just in time, it seemed.

"Found you."

He sighed and leaned back, staring blankly up at the grey-haired traitor.

Kabuto was talking. He could see his lips moving and hear the faint buzz of his voice, but he couldn't focus on the words. He couldn't think about his failed self-assigned mission or even his genin. No. All he could think about was the bottom drawer of his nightstand.

There was a sharp pain in his chest.

_That's too bad._ He closed his eyes. _He had just bought the ring last week._

 

*

 

Sakura was awake before dawn with a lingering feeling of dread from a rather detailed nightmare. She shook her head clear and glanced towards the entrance of the cave. The boys were supposed to have changed watch through the night, but it looked like Sasuke never moved. Hasegawa was yawning on the other side of the entrance. As far away from Sasuke as he could be while still keeping an eye on the forest beyond the cave. She shook her head with a smile.

Apparently his acknowledgment last night didn't extend very far.

She rolled to her feet and tried to dust off all of the dirt and grass off of her dress. She grimaced and glanced at Sasuke, hoping he hadn't glanced at her. She probably looked like a mess! She sighed and pulled her hair back into a low ponytail. While she didn't really want to look like she was copying Ino's look, she also didn't want Sakura to notice how tangled her hair had become after a day trudging through the forest and then sleeping in the dirt.

"We should probably get going," Kenta said behind her as he pulled himself to his feet.

Hasegawa looked back at them and nodded with a grin. "Yeah, we can beat the crowd and probably even be one of the first teams to make it!"

He glanced at Sasuke. "No offense Uchiha."

Sakura nearly started lecturing him on being so callous when Sasuke was the only reason they got a scroll so fast, but Sasuke shifted into a half crouch suddenly. His eyes trained on the forest in a glare.

"Company."

Sakura felt her breath catch in her throat for a second as her eyes immediately ghosted over the two unconscious Uzumaki's. Did the shinobi that did this come back to finish the job? They had to be skilled to get past the traps in the forest without causing them to go off.

"Oh, so you noticed us." A team slowly stepped out of the bushes across from the cave. "That was quick. We only just arrived."

Sakura held her breath as they walked towards the first trap and slowly let it out when they stopped right in front of it. She tried not to look too disappointed. She forced herself to not even glance down at the displaced dirt. Their sensei had lectured them about this. If they gave it away through their own expressions or actions then there was no point in working on a trap in the first place.

She focused instead on the shinobi themselves. They were from Oto. Two boys, one girl. She narrowed her eyes slightly when she finally recognized the group. The one in the middle had attacked the grey-haired man, named Kabuto, for no reason before the first part of the exam. He didn't even hit him, but Kabuto's glasses had shattered and he had been knocked to the ground.

"What scroll do you have?" Sasuke demanded as he slowly got to his feet, the kunai still clutched in his right hand.

The grouped looked taken back.

"Don't tell me you plan on taking them on all by yourselves…" Hasegawa trailed off as Sasuke glared at him briefly before turning back to the Oto team. "Are you freakin' kidding me?"

Sakura pushed down the immediate rush of admiration for Sasuke's bravery as pragmatism took its place.

"Sasuke-kun, its three against one and you don't know their abilities. Let us help you." Her hands curled into fists, her new gloves crinkled easily with the movement.

Her sensei made sure she had worn them in before the exams started. She was grateful now, that they weren't as stiff as when she first got them and that she had time to train in them. It was obvious to her that Sasuke hadn't thought much of them during their trip last night. If she could get the chance here to show her crush just how much she had grown. Then maybe…

"No way!" Hasegawa snapped. "We already helped him enough. If he wants to be reckless than...geh-"

Sakura's arm closed around his neck and pulled him back slightly in a partial choke hold. She smiled brightly at her teammate, ignoring his struggles.

"We're helping."

Hasegawa gave her the stink eye but relented when she tightened her hold slightly.

"Fine, whatever." He backed off with a mutter about girls being crazy that Sakura happily ignored.

Sasuke glanced back at them.

"Don't get in my way."

Sakura nodded resolutely. "We won't."

He grimaced but turned back to the Oto shinobi.

Sakura took that as the closest thing to a yes she'd get and smiled more genuinely turning her own gaze back to the other group.

The Oto team had watched silently, not moving an inch during their little spat. The middle one chuckled when he noticed their attention turn back to them and tilted his head to the side. Sakura tensed. He was the one who shattered the glasses.

"Are you done fooling around children?"

"I can't believe they even let you brats into the exam." The girl sneered.

"Oi…." Hasegawa growled. "We're not weak kids. We earned our genin rank."

The boy with the spiky hair scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, is that why your little trap sucks?"

He gestured to the ground in front of him.

"It's totally obvious that you stuck something here. Who are you trying to fool? Huh?"

"You only know that because Dosu told you." The girl muttered.

"Shut up!"

Sakura forced back a laugh. This was a serious situation. She looked towards Sasuke, but he was gone. A quick glance up found him leaping from above towards the ground, hands flashing rapidly through a jutsu Sakura didn't recognize with his eyes spinning with the sharingan.

_If he's charging from above,_ she thought. _I'll attack from below._

She darted out of the cave towards the group, her hand clenching into a fist.

_I'll show Sasuke just how much I've grown!_

Her breath caught slightly when the spiking haired one looked at her but didn't stop. He raised his hands and suddenly Sakura felt herself flying through the air. She hit something midair which slowly her fall slightly, but not enough to completely prevent the pain of hitting the ground. She gasped for breath and panicked when air didn't come immediately. Her ears were ringing and her vision was blurry.

_What happened?_

The thing she hit midair shifted beneath her. A face came into view.

"Sasuke-kun!" She gasped.

She flinched back as he glared fiercely at her, sharingan eyes still burning.

"I told you not to get in my way!"

"I…" She closed her mouth her eyes burning traitorously.

_I just wanted to show you what I could do now._

He glanced up.

"Shit. Move."

She looked up to see the one that's had sent her flying backward heading towards them. She tried to move, but she found that her limbs were shaking too much.

"Useless." Sasuke snapped and tugged her back by the ponytail. She bit her lip to prevent a noise of pain.

He barely had enough time to pull himself into a crouching position slightly over her with a kunai in hand. The other shinobi raised his hand and Sakura knew that a regular kunai wouldn't help at all.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"You will not harm the pretty Sakura-chan nor my youthful friend Sasuke Uchiha!"

The shinobi was kicked across the field by the weird genin that had confessed to her before the first part of the chunin exam. She glanced at Sasuke. They were friends? She felt a little bad for rejecting him so harshly now that he had come in to help when he didn't have to. She flinched back when Sasuke met her glanced with a glare.

"If you're going to be useless, then go guard my team." He stood. "I'll make sure none of them get close to you."

She felt like she'd been slapped.

"Sasuke! That was mean!" The green glad genin frowned at the Uchiha, but Sasuke ignored him in favor of attacking.

The new arrival looked back at her and smiled. "Don't worry Sakura-chan! I'll protect you!"

He dove back into battle as well. His movements were barely visible as he darted around the spiky-haired Oto shinobi who was looking more and more irritated. Sasuke had dove towards the leader of their group that the girl had called Dosu, but it looked like he wasn't making any headway. He kept jumping back as far as he could when the shinobi attacked. Probably to avoid whatever happened to the grey-haired shinobi before the first exam. It made fighting difficult though since Dosu simple countered any jutsu thrown his way by dodging or using his own to negate them.

It was a battle of stamina at this point and Sasuke had already fought a superior opponent yesterday and probably hadn't slept at all last night, while the Oto team looked like they were just strolling through a park rather than a deadly forest.

She dug her hands in the dirt.

_(Why was she just sitting there? Didn't she want to prove to Sasuke that she had gotten stronger?)_

Her eyes were burning again.

_(But she failed. She got in Sasuke's way and nearly got them both killed because she wasn't fast enough to avoid an obvious attack. No. The problem wasn't speed, really. The problem was that she recognized the attack, but kept charging anyway. All because she wanted to show Sasuke that she was strong.)_

_(But, in the end, I'm just being protected.)_

"You know, I hate little girls like you. So focused on your image and boys that you don't take training seriously."

She jerked her head, eyes widening as the last shinobi came charging towards her.

"Idiot!" Hasegawa countered her senbon needles with his kunai. "What are you just sitting there for!? This isn't the time for you stupid girly emotional shit!"

She flinched when she heard Sasuke scream in pain.

The female shinobi smirked nastily. "Looks like Dosu finally got your little boyfriend. If you ask nicely he might let you say your goodbyes before he kills him."

"Shut up you stupid-" She overpowered him briefly, her hands darting forward to stab the senbon into his neck, before Kenta slammed into her with the force of a fully loaded cart, bringing her to the ground and knocking her weapons out of her hands.

"Shit." Hasegawa shivered. "What the hell Kenta, you weren't supposed to wait that long."

"Sorry," Kenta said in a strained voice as he tried to pin the girls flailing limbs down. "It took a bit longer to disarm the traps in the field and set them up around the Uzumaki brothers. And I thought you said you could handle one girl."

"Get off me you bastard!" The girl growled kicking him in the stomach. He winced but didn't let go.

Hasegawa rubbed his neck. "She's, uh, tougher than I thought."

He glanced at Sakura.

"We can handle her though, so go help Uchiha. And this time don't fail."

"Chou!"

"Shut-up." He rolled his eyes. "I mean, just, well punch 'em or something. That's what you've been training for right?"

_(What I've been training for…right…it wasn't just to show off Sasuke was it? I wanted to…)_

She nodded.

The boy, Lee, was struggling to his feet with blood dripping out of his ears and nose, while Sasuke was taking on both of the other boys in the Oto team. She could see blood pouring out of his own ears and nose and could tell by the way his eyes were narrowed he was in pain. But he fought anyway. Even Sakura would admit he wasn't doing very well. With Lee on the ground, it was two against one.

"Ok."

She pushed herself to her feet and darted into the fray, tossing a dozen kunai as she charged. The Oto shinobi dodged them easily. She could see the smirk tugging at the spiky-haired shinobi, but she ignored it. He wasn't her target.

Out of the three of them, it was obvious who the biggest threat was.

Dosu raised his arm.

She heard Sasuke shouting something, but his words didn't register as she raised her own fist.

He drove his hand towards her face. The palm of his hand slammed into her, breaking her nose immediately, but the physical pain was outshined by a high pitched ringing that seemed to reverberate through her. Her eardrums felt like they were exploding and her whole body shook.

_(Ah, so that's how he hurts people. Sound waves.)_

Her fist lashed out in an uppercut.

He leaned back to avoid it, but she wasn't aiming for his face.

Her fist met metal and the metal gave out.

She couldn't hear the crack of the metal and bone breaking, but she knew she succeeded when the ringing abruptly cut off. She watched dizzily and he jerked back, his mouth moving behind the mask of bandages in an obvious scream.

"Heh." It hurt to grin with a broken nose, but she managed a small smirk.

It was hard to make her limbs move properly, but she could still channel the chakra she needed. She shifted her stance and brought her arm up against to deliver a sluggish punch to the jaw. It wasn't hard enough to fully break it, but with the chakra she managed to funnel she felt it crack under her fist.

Something came flying at her from her peripheral, but she couldn't move quick enough to dodge it. A hand tugged at the collar of her dress and she was pulled out of the way of way of the spiky-haired Oto shinobi, who looked completely enraged.

He was shouting something, but Sakura still didn't have her hearing back. She glanced up at her savior. Sasuke glanced down at her. He didn't say anything, but he nodded slightly before he dove at the shinobi.

If she wasn't in so much pain right, she probably would have squealed.

As it was, she just slowly allowed herself to slide to her knees as her hearing slowly came back.

The fight didn't last long after that. Sasuke took a page from her book and went ahead and broke the spiky-haired shinobi's arms to prevent him from using his ability. It was crude and harsh, but her sensei had made it very clear to them that you did what you could to win.

'And I definitely won.' A smile tugged at her lips despite the pain. 'Sensei is going to be so proud of me.'

_(Sensei was…)_

Her mind stuttered to a halt. There on a high tree branch.

_(How long had he been there?)_

Green met gold for a brief moment before Sakura's entire being exploded with pain as she was kicked across the clearing. She choked, unable force her body to twist herself into a better landing position.

"Sakura!"

A familiar voice and familiar arms plucked her out of the air and prevented her from probably slamming against a tree or something equally painful. They tumbled to the ground from the force of Sakura's body. She blinked up at Ino, mind still scrambled from pain and shock, not quite understanding what exactly happened or when her former friend had arrived.

_(All she could focus on was golden eyes and pain, pain, pain.)_

"WHO ARE YOU?!" She heard Sasuke shout, a hint of desperation in his tone.

Ino's teammates were standing protectively in from of them, making it difficult for her to see what was going on.

_(She had to confirm though. She had to because she remembered a small photo, torn at the edges, shoved into the pages of a book she had been researching.)_

She gasped softly when she finally managed to push herself out of Ino's arms to get better look at the new arrival. Her hands trembled as she slowly pushed herself onto her knees. Her stomach felt like it was on fire and it was hard to breathe. It was frustrating to know that just one kick left her like this, but knowing the person who did it…well she was surprised she wasn't dead.

"Orochimaru." She managed to get out between pants. She saw Sasuke's shoulders twitch and felt a brief spike of joy over surprising him by answering his question.

Her eyes drifted towards the man himself. He wasn't moving. Instead, he watched Sasuke with his head tilted to the side and a small smile on his face. That smile spelled trouble for Sasuke. His eyes flickered to her briefly before apparently losing interest despite her knowing his name.

If she could distract him…

She gritted her teeth and drew in a deep breath to try and regulate her breathing.

After all, in her quest to learn more about Tsunade Senju, she had also run into information on the legendary woman's legendary teammates.

"He was the Hokages former student along with Jiraiya and Tsunade Senju. They were known as the Three Sages and were considered Konoha's strongest team." She took a ragged breath trying not flinch when cold gold eyes lingered on her. "He's a traitor. The Hokage found him experimenting on children. He should have received the death sentence, but he got away and has been evading Konoha ever since."

"What a well-read genin." His voice was soft and sibilant. It didn't carry the outright malice she expected from his history, but it made her shiver in fear all the same. "I suppose it makes sense you would recognize me, though. You must have been researching my teammate thoroughly to copy her style so exactly. Congratulations should be in order that was quite the little show you put on. I wasn't expecting such a thing from a genin like you"

He cut his eyes over to where the Uzumaki twins still slept.

"It seems I've been receiving a lot of surprises lately."

Sasuke bristled minutely.

"You stay away from them." He growled lowly.

"Hey," Shikamaru started calmly. "Fight him is probably not a good idea."

_Do we have a choice?_

The question remained unasked, but it was obvious what the answer was. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her teammate's edge closer to her, having apparently knocked out their own opponent.

Sakura pushed herself, painfully to her feet. Ino hovered beside her.

"Hey, don't you think you've done enough?" A hand hesitated briefly, before grabbing her elbow to support her as she swayed. "Sakura, you're really injured you need to sit out."

She ignored her.

_(If she could just distract him. Maybe help will come. Surely, the adults realized what happened. Surely they were going to stop the test and save them.)_

"What are you doing here?!" He voice was nasally and cracked halfway through, but she persisted. "You're a traitor. You're not welcome in Konoha. If you're caught, you'll be killed immediately."

Gold eyes seemed to cut through her, reading her intentions easily and laughed at her for her efforts. She flinched but didn't take her eyes off of him.

"What am I doing here, you ask?" He seemed to debate over the answer, though the mocking expression he wore revealed that he was just playing with them. His eyes cut to Sasuke and her stomach dropped. "Why I'm here for a Uchiha."

The killing intent slammed into her like a brick. She could only watch with wide, horrified eyes as Sasuke jumped back, his own eyes wide and Sharingan spinning.

Her knees hit the ground before she knew what was happening as another aura washed over the clearing. Her eyes widened as a flame encased Natsuki Uzumaki slammed into Orochimaru and sent them both flying into the trees.

_(Her mind flashed back to a distant memory. A rabid blond child hovering over a smaller orange haired boy as blood seeped into the dirt.)_

They were back in the clearing again, trading blows almost too fast for her to follow.

"Is that really Natsuki?" She heard Choji ask softly from his own position on his knees.

"This isn't good," Shikamaru muttered. "So, troublesome."

"What is going on?" A voice called from the tree behind them.

Sakura turned, to find the rest of Lee's team looking confused. The girl who spoke laid eyes on Lee unconscious body and gasped, while the boy's eyes were on the fight happening in the air above them.

"Damnit. Damnit." She turned to Sasuke who was also watching the fight his hands curled into fists. "Why can't I do anything myself? I'm useless. Weak without them."

She opened her mouth to disagree, but the look on his face held her back. It was twisted with dark anger and frustration.

Laughter brought her attention back to the fight. Orochimaru had landed along with Natsuki. The orange haired genin was facing away from them. The flames still lingered in the air, but the oppressive force that had first driven her to her knees seemed to have lightened somewhat. He seemed distracted. Kept twitching and turning to looking into the forest.

"You're very interesting," Orochimaru smirked. He didn't look like he had been fighting, while Natsuki was panting heavily. "You wield the Kyuubi's power so easily."

Kyuubi? The Nine Tailed Fox?

Sakura didn't really understand what he said, but it was obvious others did. Shikamaru tensed, his face twisted in worry. Sasuke's face, on the other hand, went completely blank. His eyes were narrowed and dark.

She grimaced.

She didn't understand anything and her stomach and face were throbbing horribly now.

_(Why weren't any adults showing up to help?)_

A crashing in the brush got her hopes up and she turned her head, hoping to catch sight of her sensei or anbu or someone.

But, it was just more genin.

Her shoulders relaxed slightly as she took in a familiar face covered in face paint, but they tensed again when she registered the expression on his face.

It was terror.

Pure terror.

That was when the redheaded boy who had charged in first starting screaming.

And everything seemed to go to hell from there.

 

*  
*  
*  
**Preview-** Naruto woke up in a dark, wet hallway. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment before slowly pushing himself to his feet. He didn't really understand how he got here or even where here was. He blinked at the dreary hallway around him in confusion.

"Am I dreaming?"

A warm red light beckoned him from down the hallway. He looked around one more time before walking towards it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while. There's been a hurricane ( I live in Houston btw. Got a little wet) and my semester started in between (Help me its a nightmare! I'm student teaching and my superior is a cranky old woman who constantly insults me!). Cough. Anyway, I'm giving you another 10k chapter, but it ends on a cliffhanger because I'm a horrible person. Sorry.
> 
> I think the thing I struggled with the most this chapter was Sakura's pov at the end. She doesn't notice as much as Natsuki or Sasuke or even Naruto, so I struggled with framing the fight while not actually writing it as much as I would have with anyone else. I also may have screwed myself over with a number of people in one area for the next chapter, but it was in the plans so we'll see how that goes.
> 
> P.s. Sorry about Hayate, that was also tough to write.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I almost forgot to post the new chapter here.

_"There are three kinds of secrets. Something that you hide at the bottom of your heart because you don't want it to be mentioned. Something that you can't say even if you want to. Something that you hope someone asks about even though you're hiding it." ~ Kazuhiko Yukimi (Nabari No Ou)_

*

Naruto woke up in a dark, wet hallway. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment before slowly pushing himself to his feet. He didn't really understand how he got here or even where here was. He blinked at the dreary world around him in confusion.

"Am I dreaming?"

A warm red light beckoned him from down the corridor. He looked around one more time before walking towards it.

As he walked he glanced around. The corridor was wide, and it looked like there was piping running along the ceiling. The pipes themselves looked old and rusted. They dripped periodically as Naruto passed. He was walking on top of the water without using chakra to keep him on the surface and every step created a splash, but his feet weren't wet. He glanced down curiously and watched in fascination as ripples were created by each step. When he tried to stay still to see how deep the water was; however, all he found was a disturbing darkness below the surface.

He swallowed and focused his attention on moving towards the red light.

The corridor ended abruptly, and he suddenly found himself in a large room. Naruto looked around warily. His eyes were drawn to the giant gates across from him. Ripples of water ghosted out from beneath them like someone was moving around in the darkness behind them. Or something.

He moved closer, but the darkness was impenetrable.

Naruto felt a chill go down his spine as the ripple grew into small waves.

The darkness gave way to huge teeth and the room seemed to shake with the rumbles of low growls. He stumbled away from the bars and fell back onto his butt.

Teeth, claws, and burning red eyes filled his vision.

"T-the Kyuubi." He whispered hoarsely. "But, h-how?"

He glanced around frantically for an exit, but the corridor he had entered through had vanished.

" **How? I'll tell you how. I brought you here.** " A voice boomed from behind the gate. It took Naruto a moment to realize it was from the monster himself. " **You were stupid enough to get hit by another seal! So, I took advantage and dragged your consciousness in here to have a talk. One my other half seems insistent on not having.** "

The last sentence was softer and seemed to be directed more to itself, but Naruto heard it all the same. Not that it made any sense to him. He slowly climbed to his feet when it became clear that the beast couldn't get past the gate.

His fear gave way to anger.

"You wanna talk?" Naruto snapped, trying not to let the monster see how hard his hands were shaking. "Fine let's talk! Starting with why you decided to try and destroy the village! So many people died because of you! Iruka-sensei's parents, probably Natsu and my parents and so, so many other people! Innocent people! Why'd you have to do that!? Huh?! Because of you Natsu and I are looked down on and feared by the other villagers! Because of you, we grew up alone! And you have the gall to drag me here to talk!? After all these years!"

He was panting at the end of the tirade. His hands were shaking for an entirely different reason now. He didn't care how big the monster was, he wanted to hit it. So many of his brother and his problems stemmed from this monster and it wanted to drag him in here and act like he did something wrong!? When he was trying to protect his brother. When it was its chakra making him go crazy to begin with!?

He glared up at the silent beast.

But, it only looked quietly back at him. It had settled down with it huge forearms folded and chin resting on top of them. He couldn't see how far it went, but Naruto could just image him lounging all stretched out in the darkness of the cage. He scowled.

"Well!? You said you wanted to talk! Now talk!" He exclaimed.

The beast blinked slowly.

_(He felt a trickle of dread at the movement. He didn't know why, but it seemed so familiar…)_

" **I wonder, how could my other half have come to like you? You are very much like your mother.** " The beast rumbled lowly. " **She was cruel. Forwent the tiny cage and used her chains instead. They were agony.** "

"M-my mother…what?" Naruto stuttered taking a few steps back in shock.

" **Hm,** " The beast glanced over him. " **Perhaps he is simply mixing his joy at being free with affection for humans around him? Surely he hasn't completely forgotten why we are in this situation? Surely he hasn't forgotten what humans have done?** "

"What are you talking about!?" Naruto cried out in confusion and mounting anger. "You're going off on some random tangent without answering my questions!"

The beast tilted his head.

_(Why was that so familiar? Why did the sight make his stomach drop?)_

" **Are you sure you want to know that answer? My other half seems absolutely determined not to tell you. He's terrified. What will you do, Naruto? Once you know the truth? I know the answer, but do you?** "

_(Why does it sound so sad?)_

"I…" He hesitated.

_(Why was he hesitating? He had wanted to get answers out of the damn fox for years. Now was his chance! Why…why was his stomach filling with dread?)_

"Wha-what do you mean your other half? You mean the half that's in Natsu? You can talk to one another?"

That was a disturbing thought, but he almost found himself wishing it was true. The way the beast talked…

" **Natsuki...** " The beast let out a rumble that shook the room again.

Naruto blinked. Was it laughing?

Before he had time to process that, the beast began to change and shift. He took a step back as flames circled the beast and he winced at the popping and cracking of bones, but he couldn't look away. His eyes seemed to be stuck as his hands began to tremble again.

" **Hate. That was all I could do in the small, dark cage with bars that burned and silence that stretched. I had tried, in the beginning, to dive into my memories. Tried to think about the happier times, but it grew too painful. It reminded me of what I had lost. What I might never have again. The warmth of the sun. The gentle touch of the moon. The breeze that carried a variety of scents. My siblings. Hagoromo…Even the humans and their odd ways that had always fascinated me. The memories began to hurt.** S **o** , I ha **ted** i **nste** ad. That was much easier…And less painful."

Naruto took another step back as the transformation finished.

"Then something out of the ordinary happened. After I was stuck watching, once again, as my body was used as a puppet for the goals of another, I was ripped in half in the most painful way imaginable. I was stuck once again in the seal, but…my other half he woke up. Not in a cage. But, in a crib."

He froze.

_(No. Natsuki's face shouldn't twist like that. Natsuki was kind. Natsuki definitely didn't make expressions like that. It was wrong.)_

"He was shocked at first. You know? Being able to breathe and feel the natural chakra once more was wonderful, but being stuck in a weak human body? It was difficult to adjust. He didn't understand what exactly had happened, but decided to bid his time and wait until he could escape."

Burning red eyes looked at him with a hint of curiosity in their swirling depths. He tilted his head to the side in a familiar gesture that made Naruto feel like crying.

"Then something changed. I'm still not quite sure what it was. I can see more of the world through him, but it still comes to me in fractured bits and pieces through the seal." He paused. "I don't think it was one moment or event. He probably didn't even notice the slow build of emotions, until one day he had to face the fact that he cared about you. But, I noticed. And no matter how much I screamed at him to stop. To separate himself. He continued. Soon it wasn't just you. But, others as well. Precious people."

He looked down and touched his chest as if puzzled over something. When he looked up it was with a broken little smile, that made Naruto's breathe stutter.

"You know, he comes here sometimes. In his dreams." He blinked. "It's always like this. He's in the cage and you're standing outside."

His face twisted.

"Tell me, Naruto. What do you think you do in those dreams?"

"I…"

It felt like his chest was caving in. He didn't know what to think. Everything seemed wrong. It was wrong to see his brother on the other side of that cage. His kind, smart, brave brother was not a monster! He didn't belong over there!

"What's the matter Naruto? Are you shock that the monster inside of you, is actually your brother? The demon that almost destroyed the village that killed your parents is, in fact, your precious. Little. Brother?"

Naruto clutching at his chest as a sharp pain tore through him and he stumbled back some more.

_(No, no, no.)_

This wasn't right!

"No, you're an imposter!" Naruto snapped. "You're lying!"

Yes! That was it! He remembered the Hokage telling them about the demon. He said to always be wary and never trust the demon. The Kyuubi was old and cunning and would try to trick them into using his power and setting him free.

He leveled the demon wearing his brother's skin with a triumphant look.

He was ready for the demon to get angry or scared that Naruto was smart enough to recognize his lie. He was prepared for the demon to change into his true form and try and snap at him like he did in his nightmares sometimes.

But, the imposter was still. He merely watched Naruto with that broken little smile that made Naruto's heartache at the sight of his brother's face twisted in such a way. The imposter was silent for a little while.

Then he laughed.

A terribly broken laugh.

"Yes, you're right. It's a beautiful, amazing, fantastic lie." Naruto felt his stomach twist as the broken smile on the imposter's lips fell abruptly. He wasn't sure which was worse, the smile or the dead look he now supported. "And he'll have to realize that soon."

The imposter tilted his head up as if listening for something. It was such a Natsuki move, like everything else he had done, that Naruto felt his chest give another stab of pain at the sight.

_(No. It had to be a lie. It couldn't be true. It definitely wasn't true. His brother was sweet and brave, and definitely not the demon they had heard tales about all their lives. He was not the demon that almost destroyed the village and killed so many people. He couldn't be. Could he? No. He couldn't. After all, Natsuki always looked so sad when the subject was brought up and sometimes he looked like he wanted to say something, but then he'd avert his eyes and close himself off...)_

He sucked in a breathe.

"Nats-"

"It's time for you to go." The imposter stated calmly. All of the former torment and sorrow was gone from his voice as well. It was flat and cold now. When he grinned at Naruto it looked more like a threat. "Go help your brother, Naruto. It looks like Shukaku has fully awakened, but be aware that you won't be able to use my power."

The world around him started to crumble and fade.

"Hey!" He shouted in a panicked voice. "What do you mean! Is Natsuki in trouble!?"

The imposter merely smiled in a softer, sadder way.

"He's always in trouble for a long as he remains as he is." The imposter turned away from him, his form shifting into the monster he truly was. "Tell him Kurama said hello."

Naruto tried to speak, tried to take a step forward, but he found himself falling into the dark nothingness beneath his feet as the ground faded. He reached out towards the light above him, but there was nothing to stop his fall. He cried out for help. But, no sound came from his lips only bubbles as he was sucked down into a whirlpool of darkness.

As he fell the rumbling voice of the demon echoed in the darkness around him.

"Whether you believe me or not, doesn't matter. You'll find out the truth soon enough. And when you find out... What will you do? My other half should know the answer, but he is still busy suffering under his own disillusions, trying to frantically uphold his lie while cutting himself on the broken shards of truth at his feet. But, I know the answer…do you?"

Naruto thrashed and yelled, but all of his words were lost in the strange water-like darkness that swirled and sucked him down further into its depths.

"You'll break him."

The voice sounded so sad. So, tired.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a cave wall. He heard the sounds of fighting and felt the ground rumble ominously. Then a scream resounded through the forest, making a chill go down his spine.

*

His eyes roved over the city. It was nearly noon and on any other day, the city would be as busy as a beehive. Civilians and shinobi alike would be wandering the streets and leaping across rooftops. Today; however, the streets were empty and the silence oppressive. A state of emergency had been called and the citizens were shuffled into the designated safe zones. Hiruzen's gaze drifted to the sky.

It was such a shame.

The sky shouldn't be so bright, nor the weather so ideal on a day like this.

Not when a loyal shinobi had been killed so brutally within their walls. His eyes followed the drifting clouds for a moment and a deep aching sorrow filled his heart.

Another one lost.

Another failure.

They had found his body as the first rays of sunlight peaked over the village, but it was already too late. Any clues to who his murders were had been completely removed, including the murder weapon itself. There was one damning piece of evidence left; however, a single note written on torn cloth in his own blood and seal in the hilt of his katana. Hidden away from the culprits. It was short, only containing three words, but it was enough to bring his perpetrators to justice.

Hayate Gekkō's last act of loyalty toward his village.

The same village that allowed his murder to happen.

_Suna. Kabuto. Traitors._

He turned away from the window when he felt a shift in the air.

"What news do you bring?"

"We have taken all Sunagakure shinobi into custody. They fought initially but went quietly after Baki gave the stand down order."

He nodded slowly. "What of the Kabuto Yakushi?"

The anbu member lowered his head in shame. "We were unable to locate him in the village or surrounding area. It is likely that he re-entered the forest once the deed was done."

"I see. Thank you for your efforts." He glanced at Ibiki. "I leave the Sunagakure shinobi in your capable hands, my friend."

The man nodded, the severe expression on his face never changing as he swept out of the room. Hiruzen turned to the door as Shikaku Nara entered just as the door was sweeping shut after Ibiki's exit.

"Hokage-sama, everyone is in position to seal the 44th training grounds and begin the operation." There was a hard look in his eye that Hiruzen rarely saw from the normally laid-back man. It reminded him abruptly that his son and friends children were in the forest now. In the middle of what was about to be a miniature war zone.

"Good. Thank you, Shikaku."

With his mind still on the children, he finally turned to the sensei lined up silently. He took in the solemn expressions and sighed softly. This was likely their worst nightmares come to reality. Their students trapped in a dangerous situation that was completely out of a genin skill range. He was sure the majority of them, the new sensei especially, had only allowed their students to participate because the exam was in the village. And now…

_(Another failure to add to his list.)_

"As our other shinobi are sealing and begin combating the traitors in the forest, your job as jounin sensei is to find your teams and escort them out. We have given each of you a headset that it wired into the central control where sensors will be on hand to guide you. Once we have the cameras back in operation we will be able to give you even more accurate information. Be aware that it is likely that at least some of them have encountered the enemy. I will send a medic as back-up with all of you and there will be more on hand in the designated medic camp outside of the forest. If you run into Hayate Gekko's team, please escort them out as-"

An anbu member, Eagle, entered the room through the window like an arrow and knelt before him in an almost ungraceful move, that belayed just how much the man was flustered.

"Hokage-sama, we have received reports from our sensors that the Kyuubi's chakra has risen beyond expected levels and... well it appears as though Sunagakure brought their own jinchuuriki and their chakra has spiked as well. They are in the same vicinity, along with a large group of genin. The sensors say the rise in chakra means they are engaged in battle."

He took a breath and nodded. "Thank you for the information."

The masked man bowed his head and disappeared as quickly as he had entered.

He turned back to the sensei. "Go. Find your teams and get them out of there. If you must engage than do so, but your priority is getting the genin away from the battle."

He had barely finished the sentence before the group was gone. He met Shikaku's eyes and nodded.

"Proceed with the operation."

The man swept out of the room barking orders into his headset, undoubtedly going to the designated central command several floors down to oversee and give the necessary orders to the shinobi entering the forest. He turned to the window once more. In the distance, he could almost make out the shimmer of the barrier as the members of the Seals and Barriers division sealed off the 44th training ground.

_(Though, knowing his student, that wouldn't stop the man for very long.)_

He sighed and rubbed his temples, where he felt a migraine slowly rear its ugly head.

He was entirely too old for this. He should have retired a long time ago, but after the tragedy that occurred after his first resignation and his successor's subsequent death…well, he had been nervous to leave the hat to anyone else. Those he thought were worthy and strong enough to succeed him were not interested in the position and he didn't have the heart to force such a burden onto them. So, he continued to push off choice to another day, another week, another year.

His hand drifted down from his temple to his chest.

It was too late now.

He could feel death calling out to him. It edged closer with every weak beat of his old, regret burdened heart.

_(Sometimes it took the form of a snake ready to fight. Other times it was something else entirely. He was never sure which one worried him the most.)_

There was a knock at the door, but before he could say a word it opened. He chuckled dryly to himself as he turned to face the man who hobbled in leaning heavily on his cane. Danzo had always been too impatient for his own good. He'd get himself wrapped up in his complicated plots and plans, only to rush when he saw an opening unweaving his own webs.

"Ah, Danzo, I was just about to walk down to the control room. Walk with me and we'll discuss your concerns."

*

Despite what his mother and teammates thought, Shikamaru had prepared for the chunin exam. In his own way, of course. He had considered and planned for multiple situations. He had a plan for every type of weather and had worked out battle strategies against everyone he knew from the academy. When he figured out the true goal of the first part of the exam, instead of taking a nap like he normally would he observed the other genin around him to get a feel for their personalities, abilities, and possible weaknesses. Upon being told about the second part of the exam he had devised a simple strategy that would allow them to succeed while also limiting exposure to their specific abilities for later battles.

Ino thought that sneaking around and finding weak or unobservant teams to steal strolls from was distasteful, but as far as Shikamaru was concerned if it got the job done, any strategy work.

Of course, despite all his strategizing, he was completely unprepared for this situation.

Then again, the Uzumaki twins were involved so he wasn't surprised he had no plan. They were frustrating like that. He could never plan around them, only react when something insane happened with them at the center of it all. They'd been like that since they were kids and he had decided to accept it. It was less troublesome that way. Usually.

His eyes roved the clearing. Taking in the situation. It felt like a dream or a nightmare.

_(He didn't want to be involved in this.)_

He looked around taking in the way everyone's attention was on the redhead.

_(He could run if he was quick. With everyone's attention on the Suna shinobi, he could grab his team and get away. Orochimaru and the Suna shinobi weren't after them, they probably wouldn't even notice if they ran.)_

If that boy was what he was starting to dread he was, then it would be an intelligent course of action.

_(And yet.)_

He glanced at the people around him. The other genin, rooted in place from their own fear and uncertainty.

_"Hey, what's your goal?"_

_"Eh? I don't really have one. I just want to live an unremarkable life. Nothing too good, nothing too bad."_

_"What?" The boy laughed in an almost startled manner, his purple eyes glittering with amusement. "That's all?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Well I can't say I blame you, but…I think I'd get bored." Purple eyes drifted over to where Naruto was dangling upside down from a branch trying to get Choji to join him. "There's a certain thrill in the unknown, you know."_

_"I'd rather take the safe route."_

_"But, running through the forest is more fun." Another laugh. "You get to feel the wind on your face, the branches tugging at your clothes, and the chakra burning in your veins as you push yourself to the limit."_

He shook his head. No. It was better to just leave. Stay safe.

_"We're not going to lose."_

_(I keep saying I just want an unremarkable life…but that's a lie, isn't it? Dammit. Naruto, Natsuki I'm blaming you.)_

He gritted his teeth and forced trembling hands into a familiar position that worked like a balm on his frazzled mind. He wished he had more time to think things through, but it looked like no one here was going to allow that, so he went over the details the best he could in the limited time he had.

_(There were two big enemies, two smaller ones, and three unconscious or in too much pain to move.)_

His eyes drifted over his allies.

_(There are twelve of us in total. One is still unconscious, three are varying degrees of injured, and everyone is freaking out. Natsuki currently has some sort of fire-like chakra surrounding him but looks relatively sane otherwise.)_

He took a breath.

_(Big enemy number one, Orochimaru, was in combat with Natsuki, but Orochimaru seems to want Sasuke. Big enemy number two, Suna kid, is still screaming, but his eyes were focused on Natsuki when he charged in. He is leaking a bunch of chakra and generally looks insane. Not a good combination.)_

He took another breath.

_(Smaller enemy number 3 and 4 are looking extremely frazzled. Things probably aren't going according to plan for them. They are scared of big enemy number 2, but are still in a loose guard formation around him.)_

He closed his eyes slowly.

When he opened them again his heart had calmed to a steady beat.

He glanced at their enemies one more time.

Orochimaru was hanging from a tree branch eyeing the redhaired Suna with consideration, mixed with a larger dose of annoyance. The redhead himself was on his knees clutching his head and muttering quietly to himself, a possible step up from the screaming but he wasn't sure. Particles of sand were floating around him ominously.

He glanced at his allies.

They were generally in the same area. The older team was to his left. The girl had snagged their injured teammate, who seemed to have recovered enough to stand on his own. The Hyuuga had his eyes on the redhead, Byakugan activated and face pale even for a Hyuuga. Choji was by his side with Ino slightly behind him, propping up an injured but still determined looking Sakura. Her own team was beside her looking ready to bolt. He glanced to his right. Sasuke was still kneeling glaring defiantly up at the Snake Sanin.

He glanced at the orange haired Uzumaki, clinging to the branch above his head. His face was pale as a ghost and his eyes wide as he stared silently at the redhead. The flames that had been roaring around him when he exploded from the cave to attack the Sanin, flickered weakly.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"Ok."

"Finally decided to get serious, eh?" Ino's snarking voice made his eyebrow twitched involuntarily, but he held back a comment.

He needed everyone's cooperation and bickering with his teammates wouldn't give him much authority.

"Hyuuga." Pale eyes snapped to him in narrow defiance. He tried not to sigh. "Your team has the most experience out of all of us. I think you should take on the redhead. It looks like he is good at long-range, but based on his build and from what I saw of his movements he's probably not good with taijutsu. However, I'd be careful of those sand particles. Whatever he can do with them is probably not good. Sasuke, you join them."

He ignored an irate glare from the Uchiha and instead focused on the Hyuuga's unimpressed look.

"Why should we get involved? We have our two scrolls. What's stopping us from just leaving and completing this section of the exam."

Shikamaru met his stare evenly, fully aware that all the genin had their eyes on him. "Because, as I'm sure you noticed, this isn't about the exam anymore. These people are a threat to the village and we're the only ones here to stop them."

_(That was an exaggeration. He doubted they'd be able to do much in the face of these opponents, if his theory was correct the redhead was a jinchuuriki and there was no way in hell anyone or even all of them combined could beat a Sanin at their level. But, if they all could work together to just hang on for a little bit…then maybe…)_

A slow blink and barely discernible nod was all the answer he got, and for once he thought he understood when his dad came home muttering under his breath about annoying Hyuuga's. His eyes flickered to Sasuke who was still scowling and had decidedly not moved. This time he did sigh.

"Orochimaru is after you. I don't think anyone wants him to get what he wants." He glanced briefly up at Natsuki. "We'll watch your back until help arrives."

The Uchiha followed his gaze and narrow his eye further. He seemed to struggle internally for longer than Shikamaru was strictly comfortable with before turning an even fiercer glare towards him.

"Make sure he doesn't get himself even more injured." He growled before he took off after the older team.

Shikamaru decided not to laugh. He didn't have the time for such lightheartedness, even if he really wanted too. He settled for a rolling his eyes.

_(So much for being a friendless loner, huh.)_

_(At least those two didn't put up much of a fight. They must realize how serious the situation is.)_

He turned his gaze back to the rest. "Ok, you guys need to focus on the other Suna shinobi. Make sure you don't underestimate them. I get the feeling no one on that team is your usual run of the mill genin."

"The guy with the purple face paint can control puppets," Sakura muttered in a nasally voice. "Met 'em during the first exam."

"Hey, Sakura-chan…" Ino started. "You should stay out of this, you're already…"

The pink haired girl ignored the words and shoved herself into a standing position, flexing her hands determinedly. He shook his head. If she thought she was still able to fight, he supposed that was up to her.

"Watch it, those two look like they're about to attack the other group."

He received four nods before they took off after the other two Suna shinobi. He sighed and glanced up at the orange haired Uzumaki.

"Hey."

No response. Was he trembling?

His eyes drifted over the other boy. Noting the bandages, dried blood, and the torn clothing. He could guess what happened judging from Sasuke's reaction to Orochimaru, but it didn't seem like Natsuki was all that afraid of the Sanin. Rather his eyes were focused on the redhead.

_(Dammit. They didn't have time for this.)_

He tossed a rock up and was mildly surprised when it actually hit the boy in the forehead. Bloody red eyes snapped to him and he found himself holding back an automatic flinch. He scowled instead.

"Hey, Orochimaru looks like he's still debating about trying to get Sasuke. Let's make sure he doesn't reach him."

Red eyes blinked slowly as if the boy was struggling to focus.

"Natsuki!" He snapped, ready to throw another rock if he had too.

That seemed to snap him out of whatever it was. The boy took a long breath, the red in his eyes faded and purple bled into them.

"Right." With a nod, the other boy was off at a ridiculous speed towards the Sanin.

Shikamaru shook his head, glancing over at the others. The Hyuuga's team along with Sasuke were circling the redhead, who was now focusing on them rather than muttering to himself. His and Sakura's teammates, on the other hand, were already engaged with the other Suna shinobi. The blond apparently had a strong Wind Release that made it difficult to get close, but he had suspected as much with the fan she carried and knew that Choji should be able to barrel through and Ino could nab her with her specialized Body Switch jutsu.

He sighed.

Those two would be the easiest ones out of their enemies. Overwhelming with superior numbers should work, but the other two…

He glanced at the group trying to get close to the redhead only to be blocked by waves of sand.

_(He could only hope that there was back-up on the way.)_

He directed his shadow towards the Sanin as the man leaped out of the way Natsuki's rapid taijutsu attack. Goldeyes flashed to him briefly before he dodged easily, the smirk never leaving his face.

Shikamaru didn't even see the attack coming.

His feet were kicked out from beneath him, his ankle yanked, and he suddenly found himself flying. He twisted mid-air to try and control his sudden flight, but he slammed into a tree trunk roughly anyway. He winced as his shoulder flared in pain causing him to slide down a few feet before he had the sense to control his chakra.

_(Natsuki, you didn't tell me running through the forest was so painful.)_

The boy in question landed slightly above him, crouching vertically on the trunk.

Purple eyes flickered down to the redhead, snarling and directing sand at his opponents before meeting his own eyes.

"Plan."

He blinked and nodded. "If I can touch my shadow to his, I can immobilize him."

_(Maybe. He had never tried it on such a powerful opponent before.)_

Natsuki nodded and took off again, blocking Orochimaru from making a move towards Sasuke with a barrage of kunai and flames. Shikamaru took off after him, eyes roving their makeshift battlefield for potential tools. They didn't have the time to fully plan out a strategy, the Sanin wouldn't allow that, they could only improvise with what they had.

_(Though he wasn't sure how long that would last before the Sanin got tired of their attempts to block him from his goal. He had realized the moment Natsuki exploded from the cave to tackle him, that Orochimaru was merely allowing them to distract him. Had he been serious about getting to Sasuke, to either kill or take his eyes, then there would be no way for genin like them to stop him. Shikamaru didn't know why, he'd more time to think before he could even come up with a solid theory, but he recognized that their lives and Sasuke by extension rested in the man's amusement with their antics.)_

The sky suddenly became an eerie red, stopping all movement as everyone's eyes turned upward.

_(Right on time.)_

He used the distraction to his advantage by bouncing his shadow off several stray kunai to edge around the Sanin. The man flipped out of range without even glancing at him.

He gritted his teeth as an unusual burst of frustration washed over him.

Shikamaru took a breath, glancing up at the red dome that blocked out the sky.

_(They've sealed off the forest. The official countdown starts now. Let's see how well we fair.)_

*

It was suffocating.

He clung to the branch, nails digging into the bark as he tried not to curl into himself from the sheer force of the rage.

Rage directed towards him.

_(Well deserved rage. He abandoned them. He left them. Didn't bother protecting them. And now look at them. All trapped. All suffering. He deserved every drop of that acidic, boiling fury.)_

Kurama flinched and tugged his chakra into himself as more chakra saturated emotions washed over him from the redhead who just entered the clearing. He wasn't screaming now at least, but the mutters didn't sound good.

Was he communicating with Shukaku? Or was this merely an episode of insanity derived from a faulty seal?

He could feel Shukaku closer to the surface than any other interaction he had with the boy since he had entered the village.

_(It made his blood run cold. What if…what if Shukaku breaks the seal? His biju brother would be free, but…everyone in the vicinity would be in terrible danger. Everyone…including Naruto…)_

He should have been more careful. He knew that Shukaku and his host were still in the forest, but he had hoped they had been far enough away so that he could fight the ridiculously strong shinobi without alerting the other biju of his position. It seemed like it had been fine during the first fight, but he knew the moment he had collided with the newly dubbed Orochimaru after waking up that he had made a mistake.

A very grave mistake that led to this very situation.

His eyes darted between the older shinobi and the redheaded host, Gaara, as he frantically tried to get his mind to reboot itself.

_(He could almost hear the screaming from the emotions leaking out. Screams of rage. Screams of pain. It hurt. It cut deep because he knew. He knew. That this was all his fault. If he had just kept them together, then, then…)_

_(Would he have met Naruto?)_

He dug his nails into the bark harder, ignoring the way splinters dug into the tender skin under his nails. However, his grip didn't stop his hands from trembling.

_(How do humans deal with guilt? Out of all the emotions, he had come to know, it was the most agonizing one of them all.)_

He vaguely heard Shikamaru talking with the other genin, but couldn't force himself to concentrate on them.

No, all he could focus on what the tortured figure that housed his most erratic biju sibling. He clutched himself, fingers digging into his thin, pale arms as he continued to mumble incoherently. His glassy pale green eyes wandered the clearing until he found Kurama's own.

_(There was so much pain in those eyes. They screamed, begged for Kurama to help him. To free him from the torment.)_

Kurama froze as his breath caught in his throat.

Then something hit him in the forehead. His gaze dropped down to Shikamaru in surprise. It took him longer than it should have to understand what exactly the boy wanted him to do and to remember the other dangerous shinobi in the area.

He glanced at the redhead one last time. The boy's attention was no longer on him, instead, those glassy eyes were tracking his new opponents, mouth twisted into a snarl. He looked like a cornered animal.

_(If he had kept them together. Kept them safe, then neither biju nor their hosts would have had to suffer.)_

Kurama turned away and shot towards the older shinobi.

He ignored the pain, his movement brought.

He ignored the blinding headache pounding behind his eyes.

And ignored the way those glassy green eyes reminded him of Naruto on the night Mizuki died.

_(Coward.)_

He slammed into Orochimaru with a kick that the man grabbed with seemingly minimal effort despite the force behind it. He snarled and twisted, bringing his other foot up to kick at his chin and jumped away when the man let go to block.

"Back again? You're very insistent on getting in my way." Orochimaru smirked. "It would be annoying if you weren't so interesting. Tell me little jinchuuriki what's inside that seal of yours?"

Kurama engaged him again with claws and fists this time. A swipe towards the face used as a distraction for a punch to the gut. The man grabbed both his wrists and twist them into a lock. Kurama bent his knees slightly and leaped into the air over the man's head, loosening his hold on his wrists, and attempted a kick to his back.

The movement created a spike of burning pain that ran up and down his leg, making him gasp and falter.

_(Right. The burn on his thigh was still healing. Should be fine in another couple of hours, but he didn't have the time to wait it out.)_

The man used his hesitation jumped away. Scowling fiercely, Kurama used his momentum to roll into a handstand kick, this time consciously using his other leg instead.

It landed.

But, his satisfaction was cut off by the man dissolving into mud.

"You're not using those flames of yours now. Why is that?" There was a hint of curiosity and amusement in the man's tone. "Is it perhaps because of Suna's jinchuuriki?"

Kurama twisted around to look behind him and glared. He charged in again for another taijutsu attack, but the man leaped away without warning and dove for something behind him. He jerked around, and hesitated, almost slipping off the branch when his vision wavered sharply.

He was too late to prevent Shikamaru from being slammed into a tree.

Kurama winced.

_(Stupid. So, caught up in your own issues all of the time. Forget about the people you're supposed to look after.)_

He leaped toward the other genin, landing slightly above him on the tree trunk.

"Plan."

His eyes tracked Orochimaru as he listened to Shikamaru's brief explanation. He took a breath and glanced at the redhead. His opponents were dancing around him, dodging sand, but seemingly unable to land a strike.

The rage was still there. It hung in the air, making it hard to breathe, but it was more scattered. Likely due to the host's distraction. However, Kurama knew that as soon as he used more than the bare minimum of chakra Shukaku would notice.

_(Coward.)_

He scowled.

_(I'm always holding back, aren't I? When I think I've taken a step forward I'm always reminded of how far I've fallen. And how long the journey out of this pit is.)_

He dove towards Orochimaru again with a barrage of kunai.

_Great Fireball Jutsu._

He took a breath, regulating his chakra, before letting out a huge burst of flame from his lips. The flames surged around him. He could feel the moment that Shukaku noticed and he nearly got his head sliced off by Orochimaru's retaliatory wind jutsu because of the wave of sheer hatred washed over him. He dove to the side just in time, landing in the dirt and panting hard.

_(The flames surrounding him flickered and he felt his skin itch ominously.)_

He met the glaring eyes of a shinobi he didn't know laying on the ground near him, wearing the Oto symbol on his headband. Bandages covered his mouth and he clutched his arm to his chest. Kurama blinked at him for a moment before a spike of rage and chakra signaled him to leap out of the way.

He swallowed as he watched the Oto shinobi get crushed beneath a wave of sand.

Kurama wasn't sure who that was, but his death was surely a painful one.

"AAARRRRGGGG!" The redhead screamed.

"Gaara!" The blond-haired Suna shinobi cried out looking distraught and scared.

More sand flew towards him at an alarming rate. He flared the flames around him and leaped away. As he flew towards Orochimaru to intercept him from making a pass at Sasuke, he felt the rush of displaced air behind him. The sand continued to follow him.

He swerved to the side at the last minute, hoping the sand would hit Orochimaru, but the man leaped away with his annoying smirk still intact.

Kurama growled as he hit the ground and had to roll under another attack.

" _Great Fireball Jutsu!_ " He heard Sasuke bellow.

When he pulled himself to his feet he found his back to his teammate.

"I have a lot of things to say to you." The Uchiha growled, panting just as harshly as Kurama. "So, you better not keel over before I can chew you out."

Kurama couldn't help the weak laugh that passed through his lips, eyes still on Orochimaru as Shikamaru attempted to immobilize him with his shadow jutsu once more. The other boy was getting closer and closer each try as Orochimaru got more distracted.

"You're the one who sounds like your at the end of your rope."

"Of course, I am!" Kurama felt him shift and they both leaped over another sand attack. "I had to take care of two unconscious injured teammates and now I'm back in a battle without resting at all!"

_(It's always your fault isn't it? You were too weak to defeat Orochimaru and now Sasuke is paying the price. Too weak to defeat Mizuki and now Naruto still suffers from nightmares. Too weak to take on Zabuza and Haku and Sasuke had to save you not once, but twice.)_

_(He didn't have to be this weak.)_

_(He could feel the power broiling underneath his skin. It burned in veins still too weak to handle their full strength. It reached and flickered. Begging him silently to use it to his heart's content. It was his own power after all.)_

_(But, if they find out.)_

He grimaced and tossed a handful of kunai to prevent Orochimaru from lashing out at Shikamaru again.

" _Hand of Waves!_ " Sasuke shouted from behind him. The force of the jutsu pushed him further into Kurama's back. He winced and shifted his weight. He could feel the bandages become wet with blood, but could feel the tingle of chakra slowly healing the burn now that it had finally healed the internal wound. The fact that his chakra was taking so long to heal his wound was very telling.

_(There's only so much this body can handle.)_

"Nothing is working against this guy." Sasuke murmured.

_(That's because, at this point, it's Shukaku handling the sand attacks. It's only a matter of time before he takes complete control of the boy.)_

He glanced at the eerie red sky as they dodged another attack in tandem. Surely other shinobi would be here soon.

Gaara gasped and let out a small scream.

Kurama turned in surprise when he felt all the hatred suddenly disappear from the air. He blinked as his eyes focused on the girl on Lee's team standing several feet away from Gaara, hand still outstretched from her throw. The kunai in question was embedded in Gaara's shoulder.

_'Shukaku was focusing on me,'_ Kurama thought distantly. _'So, he wasn't keeping up as good of a defense for his host.'_

Everything seemed to freeze in that moment.

The redhead blinked down at the blood dripping from his wound with wide, almost childish eyes.

Then he felt it.

"Everyone get back!" He shouted frantically. "Get away from him now!"

Shukaku screamed.

*

"Since we were the first people here, do ya think we'll get a special prize or something?"

"The goal of this exam is to gain chunin status, not to win prizes."

"Well, ya, but I mean still. It'd be cool if we got some kind of recognition, you know? What do ya think, Hina-chan?"

Hinata didn't even twitch, her eyes were focused on the forest. She clutched her hands to her chest. Something felt wrong. She had activated her Byakugan, but she couldn't find anything amiss within her range of sight. She bit her lip.

_(If she was stronger, like Neji, maybe she could see further.)_

Still, even if she couldn't find anything, she couldn't shake the feeling.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, but as she turned back towards he teammates her eyes caught something above them.

"I-is that a-a barrier?" She gasped.

The three of them turned their faces towards the sky the colors warped and shifted leaving the scenery cast in an eerie red glow.

"Wow." Kiba's hand tightened slightly on her shoulder, but she didn't complain. She was too captivated by the chakra she could see weaving through the barrier. It looked like there were a lot of people involved in creating it. She's never seen anything like this

Even though the twisting chakra was captivating she still felt a sinking feeling in her gut. Her eyes drifted across the forest again. If she strained her eyes she could almost see an influx of chakra in the distance. It sent a shiver down her spine.

"So, does that mean we're trapped here?" Kiba stepped forward frowning at the red-tinted world around them. "Why?"

"The better question is with whom are we trapped with?" Shino murmured solemnly.

Hinata wrapped her arms around herself as his words sent more shivers through her.

After a few minutes of watching there was a sudden surge in chakra from the forest. It flared on the edge of her vision. She pushed herself, hands coming up in the snake seal position that her father said was unbefitting of a Hyuuga heiress but helped her concentrate when using her Byakugan, and could see the source of the strange chakra.

She gasped and stopped immediately Hinata stepped back and closed her eyes as she fought back a headache from the strain of pushing her kekkei genkai to far.

"Hinata!"

"Hinata-chan?"

"I-I'm o-okay." She whispered, waving off the concern of her teammates.

_(But, whoever's chakra that was isn't. The way the chakra flared and whipped about looked painful. And for some reason it sort-of reminded her of Natsuki's strange chakra.)_

"I hope everyone is ok."

*  
*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: For each pov, I had a least a half a page in notes for what I wanted to happen and how the character was going to react, except for Kurama/Natsuki. All I had for him was literally 'He's freaking out'.
> 
> So, let's talk Yang Kurama for a moment since that was from Naruto's pov and Kurama is difficult to understand while he's Natsuki. Basically, he's the other half of Yin Kurama (Our lovable Natsuki), so I figured that they share a strong bond with one another. Two halves of one soul sort-of deal, you know? Meaning Yang Kurama can see/feel more than he normally could have, but the seal on Naruto is definitely more functional than Natsuki's so he gets a lot of the memories and emotions in peices. So, unlike Natsuki who has experienced all these scary emotions first hand, Yang Kurama is merely left with fragments of Natsuki experience leading him to be way, way more suspicious about this whole liking humans deal. On top of that, he feels a little jealous/annoyed that his other half gets to run around while he's still stuck in the seal, making him a bit surly and depressed. (He's also a bit weirded out by getting all these emotions.) Anywho, that'll definitely be expanded on later, so I won't get too much into it here.
> 
> Three more chapters left for the chunin arc! I'm so excited to see what yall say about this and future chapters. I've enjoyed all the reviews and the predictions yall have been making! They always put a smile on my face. So, thanks!
> 
> Next Chapter is the thrilling conclusion to this train wreck of a battle. Who will win? Who will lose? And will I kill off any more beloved characters?
> 
> Preview: _"Sasuke! Sasuke, please listen to me! Things are probably going to get crazy after this. I don't know what's going to happen to me, but please. Promise me you'll protect Naruto. If I'm…If I can't…Please, just promise me you'll stay by his side. He needs someone…you both do. Promise me."_


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Waves awkwardly* Uh, hello, Xejis here.
> 
> Sorry for the super long wait. My last semester was actively trying to kill me. But, I managed to graduate still, relatively, intact and have secured a job. So, yeah. Things are looking up in RL.
> 
> Warning: Use of headcanon for the Hyuuga clan, and the byakugan since we don't get a lot of that in canon (*Side eyes a certain other clan that took center stage with their melodrama…*). Also, there are a couple of mild breakdowns and an almost panic attack.

 

* * *

 

"The more someone cares for me, the more scared I get. Scared that someday, something terrible will happen."  
Natsume Takashi (Natsume Yuujinchou)

* * *

 

He twisted out of the way of another sand attack and brought his hand up to trail along the edge of it, disrupting the chakra he could see woven into the tiny grains. The sand fell uselessly to the ground. He barely managed to stop himself from wincing at the feel of the strange chakra. His hands itched and burned from even the barest of touches.

Neji didn't dare glance at the other strange chakra dancing in the trees with the S-class traitor, but he didn't have to with the way the boy's chakra hung heavy in the air around him, visible to those even without a Byakugan. It was like nothing he had ever seen before.

His attention was caught by the battle before him once more when he noticed an attack aimed at Tenten. He grimaced and darted forward to intercept it.

With a twist and a brush of his hand he redirected the blow and disrupted the chakra. His teammate smiled gratefully, but he ignored her in favor of diving back into the fight.

He had to give the Nara boy credit, though it was likely just fate that led to him fighting this opponent. The blond girl and the boy with the face paint were mid to long range fighters. It would have made it more difficult for him to land his strikes. Orochimaru likely knew all the weaknesses of their clan from his horrid experiments and wouldn't have allowed Neji to get close either.

No, this was the perfect opponent for him.

The sand was a formable defense and was keeping his team at a distance, but he was wearing down the redhead's defenses by disrupting the chakra flow in the sand itself. So far, the redhead didn't even seem to notice due to his irate state of mind.

_(It was a battle between the ultimate defenses. Truly a fated match, designed to test his abilities as a Hyuuga.)_

He narrowed his eyes as Lee leaped in with another pointless attack. His speed was acceptable, but he still couldn't break through their opponent's defenses.

_(It was a perfect illustration of Lee's futile attempts at beating him. He was already injured from his earlier fight, he should learn his place and bow out of this fight.)_

Tenten wasn't much better, even uninjured. While her proficiency with weapons was devastating in most battles and missions they had completed, their opponent's defenses didn't let any of her blades land. She was left playing long-range interference with explosion tags tied to precisely thrown kunai.

The Uchiha, on the other hand, was doing more damage with his fire and water jutsus than either of his teammates even as he grew wearier from the exhaustion of fighting two battles back to back and his own injuries.

Neji shook his head and leaped into the fray once more. A barrier had just been erected around the training grounds, and he wanted to immobilize his opponent before reinforcements arrived. He would prove his strength as a Hyuuga and master of the Gentle Fist.

It all happened in a split second.

The orange haired genin was pulled into their battle and attack viciously by the sand.

_(He pushed back the irritation at another interfering in favor of continuing his steady attack. Ignoring his companions pointless attacks.)_

Lee continued his blitz kicks and Tenten continued her own long-distance attacks.

Neither of them had landed a successful hit until that moment.

He doubted Tenten even expected her kunai to land, judging from her shocked look.

With a click of his tongue, he moved in for a final attack.

"Everyone get back!" The orange haired boy shouted frantically. "Get away from him now!"

_(Neji paid him no heed. He knew he could finish this battle. He was strong enough.)_

A split second was all it took, for everything to go crumbling down.

The scream was disturbing, and the surge of chakra was nearly blinding.

It made him catch his breath and freeze at the sheer magnitude.

_(The sheer rage.)_

If one were to ask any civilian on the street what they thought of chakra the likely response would be confusion; not knowing what it was. If one were to ask any shinobi on the street what their opinion of chakra was, they'd likely say that it was useful. If one were to ask a Hyuuga what they thought of chakra, the likely response would be that it was beautiful. While other shinobi and clans could catch glimpses of the life energy, the Hyuuga's Byakugan saw more. They saw the way it danced throughout the chakra systems. The way it healed, and the way it destroyed.

They saw it and they loved it.

Neji still remembered the stories his father used to tell him about the history of the Hyuuga clan. How they developed the Gentle Fist to compliment the chakra to utilize the gift they were given. He remembered the way his father would describe the dance it was originally developed from, before the clan wars. Before it became necessary to fight and defend. Before the clan was divided and most of it shackled with the mark he now bore on his forehead. Neji used to love those stories. But, now they left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Of all those stories; however, one found its way to the forefront of his mind at that moment.

His father always told it in a somber tone, very different from his other stories.

The story of the nine tails attack.

His father said that the beast's chakra was as beautiful as it was deadly. It was an all-consuming fiery rage of death and desperation.

Neji didn't really understand then, but as he gazed into the swirling depths of his opponent's chakra he was starting too.

_(Rage and insanity mixed together to create a beautiful, deadly combination.)_

He was frozen. Unable to move, unable to think.

The boy became a beast in front of his eyes. Sand that littered the ground rose up once more and surrounded him. It was forming something. Something that made his skin crawl and his heart beat rapidly in his chest. The face came first and as impossible as it seemed, he found himself staring directly into the beady golden eye of a monster as it twisted itself around the redhead's face and slowly came to life from the sand.

The tail came next. Lashing out behind, its chakra almost humming from the tightly packed intensity.

Neji saw the attack coming.

A simple swoop of the tail, aiming directly for him.

He knew it would be fatal.

But he still couldn't move.

' _This is what I get for attempting to go against fate.'_

_(He knew. Deep down his petty rebellions against the clan were useless in the end. It amounted to nothing because he was nothing. Nothing more than branch family fodder. Like his father. An expendable tool for the main branch.)_

He tried not to tense for the attack, but his muscles wouldn't listen.

_(He was always trying to resist. Trying to fight. Even when he knew it was useless.)_

His eyes slipped closed.

_(This was the end.)_

"You will not hurt him!"

Crunch.

The warm splash of blood felt like fire against his cheeks.

_(It wasn't his blood.)_

When he opened his eyes all he could see was green and red. The body fell into him, knocking them both completely to the ground.

Lee's face was white with pain. His upper body took the brunt of the attack. His arms lay twisted on his lap as he slouched into Neji.

Blood soaked both of their clothes.

"Why…" The word came out strangled and weak. He couldn't find the words to finish the question.

Despite his pain, Lee managed a trembling grin, but when he opened his mouth, there were no words, just blood as Lee coughed and shuddered.

_(This was his fault.)_

* * *

Everything hurt.

Her ears were still ringing, and her hearing was still a bit spotty. Her nose felt like it was on fire. She had to breathe through her mouth in sharp gasp like breaths because her chest felt like it was caving in on her.

Sakura had never been in so much pain before.

Nor had she felt so compelled to continue to fight despite the pain.

She marched forward determinedly, her eyes focused on the pair, that still looked frightened over their teammates' current breakdown. She felt Ino's aborted motion to hold her back, but she ignored it.

"We don't have to fight." She tried not to wince at how nasally her voice sounded. "Something is wrong. There is a Konoha traitor here. Our Hokage will probably call off the chunin exams. We should work together until Konoha shinobi arrive to deal with him."

The blonde's expression went blank the moment Sakura started talking. Her blue-green eyes were flinty and cold, only changing into worry and fear when she glanced at their redheaded teammate. Sakura turned to Kankuro. They only talked briefly, but he was very nice and just as excited at her to figure out how to beat the first task.

She felt her stomach drop.

There was an apologetic look in his eye and a reluctant frown on his painted lips. His hand twitched up before going limp again like he was going to scratch at the back of his neck before he pushed that impulse down.

"Sorry," His blond teammate glanced sharply at him and he winced.

Sakura frowned. "What do you mean? This test has been compromised. We shouldn't fight anymore."

"Tamari…" Kankuro glanced at his teammate imploringly, his fingers tapping at his thigh nervously.

She frowned, uncertainty flashed across her face lighting fast before it was blank once more. She glanced at their other teammate and sighed softly. With a flick of her wrist, her fan was in his hands.

"Our mission was ruined the moment Gaara went off script." She glared at them fiercely. "Might as well put up a fight before we're captured and executed."

"Sis…" Kakuro sighed and brought a hand up to rub his neck, smudging the face paint on his jaw. "Alright."

Sakura felt her teammates move to her side. Their presence soothed the pit forming in her stomach, but not by much.

"Your mission…" Kenta murmured.

"You're traitors." Ino snarled lowly, putting the pieces together that Sakura didn't want too. "We have an alliance."

Sakura watched as Kankuro twirled his puppet with a devil-may-care smile painted on his face.

"Konoha has gotten too comfortable. Too bigheaded. We just wanted to bring ya down a peg and maybe poach some territory and clients while we're at it."

His eyes met Sakura's briefly before he looked away.

_(There was fear in his eyes.)_

They held spars throughout the academy. Sakura never did very well in them. She memorized the moves they were taught. The blocks, the kicks, the punches. She used to practice at home until her movements were perfect. But, just practicing moves in the mirror never helped her in the spars. It had always frustrated her, but she made up for it in everything else.

It wasn't until Gekkō-sensei started drilling her in taijutsu that she finally understood what was wrong.

She didn't react fast enough to her opponent's attacks because she was so focused on trying to make her movements textbook perfect. But, that's not how real fighting worked.

It was quick and unpredictable. If you focused too much on your own movements, you'd lose in a heartbeat.

Sensei taught her that.

_(Things didn't have to be perfect. As long as it worked. Like her punch earlier. It wasn't perfect, and she got hit, but she messed up her opponent more than he did her. That was a win.)_

The puppet shot forward with a twitch of Kankuro's fingers. Nothing in his expression or body language gave his attack away, except for the fingers.

The same fingers she had been watching the whole time.

Her body screamed at her as she shifted her weight back and twisted, but she didn't stop. She raised her foot and pushed her momentum into the kick catching the puppet square in the face before it could reach Hasegawa.

She hit it hard enough for the wood to crack and the head to spin around.

"Hey!" The other boy shouted and tugged his puppet back. "Don't break him!"

Sakura turned her scowl in him.

"Why not?" She growled. "You're a traitor!"

_(Distantly, she wondered if she was a little too angry. They only talked once, after all. But now that memory of shared success was tainted.)_

Kankuro grimaced. "It's not personal or anything. Fights between villages happen all the time."

Sakura narrowed her eyes and shifted into a fighting stance. She heard, more than saw Ino and Choji engage the blond girl. The wind from her attack made Sakura's hair fly around wildly. She scowled to herself, wondering when exactly her hair tie fell out.

She didn't allow herself to remain distracted for long.

_(This wasn't for fun anymore. This wasn't just training. This was real. And if she didn't fight, then she'd die.)_

She slammed into Kankuro's puppet without hesitation. Her shoulder took the brunt of the attack while her fist struck out in a jab; cracking the wooden chest and allowing her to get a peek at the weapons and mechanics of it.

Sakura scowled. Not good enough.

Kankuro was a difficult opponent. His puppet allowed him to attack from a distance and it carried an assortment of weapons ready to stab, slash or be thrown at a single twitch of his fingers. Any attempt at getting close resulted in him replacing his body with sand or his own puppet.

Sakura panted harshly as she wiped the sweat out of her eyes in annoyance.

Everything hurt, and it was getting harder and harder to concentrate on her chakra control. Kakuro turned to her and she tensed. But, before he could attack his blonde teammate's wind ninjutsu slammed between them as she fought off a tag team by Ino and Choji. They both leaped back to avoided being hit. Sakura winced as her ribs were jostled from her rough landing.

"Watch it!" Kankuro snapped towards his teammate, but only got an annoyed grunt in return.

He glanced toward his redheaded teammate, barely visible through the shifting sands, and Sakura took her chance.

"Suna has been allied with Konoha for years! You're breaking our treaty!" She charged forward while shouting. She kept her eye carefully trained on her opponent as he shifted his attention back to her.

Kenta dove at Kankuro from behind nearly clipping him in the head with a punch, but the Suna shinobi dodged to the side at the last moment. Hasegawa was there to meet him with a kick to his kneecaps. Her teammate cheered when Kankuro went down with a cry, but it turned into a cry of frustration when the body turned into sand. For the fifth time.

Sakura bit back a curse.

"I thought this was the chunin exam!" Hasegawa snapped. "That means we're all supposed to be genin!"

"Technically we are," Kankuro answered from a branch above them and gave them a strained grin as his eyes drifted away again. "We just got some extra training since we're the Kazekages kids. Gotta make sure we aren't killed by random assassins after all."

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

_(This really was a declaration of war.)_

"Incoming!" Ino shouted tugging Sakura back as another wind blast blew past them, tearing up the ground where they were previously standing.

"This chick is strong and clever too. We're not making much headway." Ino muttered. "How's your guy."

"Pretty good at dodging and his puppet has a lot of tricks," Sakura replied.

"Hmph. So, crappy situation all around." Pale blue eyes darted worriedly to her other wayward teammate battling probably the most dangerous missing-nin from Konoha.

_(And if that didn't show how insane this situation was, Sakura didn't know what would. This was not how she expected her first chunin exam to go. Why was this happening?)_

"We probably have the better deal." Sakura murmured, eyes darting to Sasuke dancing with fire and sand, looking pale and frustrated.

Ino groaned. "That's the worst part."

"If we can stop these guys," Sakura started. "Then we can help them."

Pale blue eyes ghosted over her briefly as the other girl frowned. "You shouldn't even be standing right now, much less fighting."

She turned sharply to face her former friend. "I can't just-"

A hand gripped her shoulder, keeping her in place in front of Ino. She could hear the battle continuing behind her and it made her tense with worry.

_(If she couldn't see the attack…)_

"I know." Ino flashed her a smile and with her free hand tapped under her right eye. "Just leave it to me. My team didn't sit around doing nothing, you know. We're Konoha shinobi too."

Sakura blinked slowly.

_(What was she trying to…oh.)_

She felt a grin tug at her lips. It was all teeth.

Sakura didn't move when Ino released her shoulder and watched silently as the girl shifted through hand movements in rapid-fire succession.

"Hey, stop gossiping and figh-erk."

Sakura had spun around at the last minute. She knocked the puppet aside with a fluid backfist. Which left Kankuro completely open for Ino's attack.

It was almost easy after that.

The blond-haired shinobi never expected her own teammate to turn against her suddenly and Choji was able to knock them both to the ground and tie them up with the help of Sakura's teammates.

Things were looking up.

Until they weren't.

Sakura choked, falling to her knees in shock.

_(Too much. Too much. What was that?! Wrath, pain, death, fear.)_

_(Need to run.)_

_(Need to RUN!)_

She fought against every fiber of her being to look up, towards the sudden influx of suffocating chakra.

It was the redhead.

"Gaara!" The blonde Suna girl cried out, tears falling down her face. "No!"

Sakura felt her own eyes water despite her best efforts.

_(Why. Why was this happening?)_

Ino was trembling beside her.

"Sensei…please…" She closed her eyes. But, she had no idea what she wanted to ask. For protection? For comfort? To take her away from this nightmare and tell her it wasn't real?

_(This was too much. She couldn't… it was all too much.)_

* * *

The screaming turned to laughter halfway through. It was an abrupt shift that reminded him of his time as a Root spy. People broke sometimes. They couldn't handle the pressure, and they snapped. After being caught in the aftermath once, Kabuto learned to read the signs and distance himself from the resulting disaster.

That's what made him one of the best.

_(It's also what got him into dangerous territory with Danzo. He liked his broken toys better. Easier to mold. Easier to control.)_

This; however, was on a completely different scale.

It was complete and utter chaos.

Even from his perch high and hidden away from the battle, he could feel the waves of wrathful chakra soaking the air. He wasn't sure if he was far enough away not to get caught up in the aftermath of what was undoubtedly going to be a bloodbath.

"Heh," He murmured to himself. "Bijuu are terrifying."

_(But, also interesting.)_

He could see why Orochimaru would be interested in the younger Uzumaki if this was just the One-tails power. If one could harness all that power properly they'd be a menace.

Kabuto rocked back on his heels.

Then again, everyone already knew that. That's why jinchuuriki exist. So, what made the little Uzumaki so different that he would grab his masters attention even in the midst of his obsession over the Sharingan? There was still so much he didn't know about this situation.

His master landed lightly on the branch beside him.

Kabuto didn't even spare him a glance. Keeping his eyes on the scene below.

"Are we leaving?"

Orochimaru hummed. "Not yet. I want to watch."

Kabuto raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "We're toeing the line a little bit here. The Hokage set up a barrier and everything. Basically, all our plans are ruined at this point."

The man shrugged. "All the more reason to watch."

He shook his head as his eyes slid over to the man. "What exactly did you see in that boy?"

His master merely smiled. "Look and listen for yourself. If I'm right…well, this should be interesting."

Kabuto turned his attention back to the battle below. The other Suna shinobi were tied up on the edge of the clearing, with a handful of Konoha shinobi, out of the immediate danger zone but not completely safe. The One-tail had formed its head and tail, attaching itself to its host like a parasite. One of the genin who had been fighting the jinchuuriki was already down with his arms twisted in a way that made Kabuto nearly wince. It looked like the Hyuuga would be next.

"Looks like the older brother finally woke up." Orochimaru murmured, just as a blond blur dove towards the two genin trailing explosion tags in his wake.

The Uchiha twirled into view between the genin and the monster, adding his clans signature flames as the tags activated in the One-tails face. The blond Uzumaki gathered up the injured genin in his arms and dove out of range, while the Uchiha turned and tugged at the Hyuuga harshly, dragging him out range when the boy hesitated too long.

The One-tails recovered quickly. Eye roaming; searching.

And suddenly uncanny golden eyes focused on its new target. The younger Uzumaki. Still frozen a small distance away, looking conflicted and utterly terrified.

_(What did his master see in him?)_

" **WHeRE Is KURaMA**?  **I FELt HIM**." The bjiuu tilted its head and bared its teeth at the younger Uzumaki. " **YOU're LEAKing hIS cHaKRa! ARE YoU** …?"

It broke into disjointed laughter. It was high pitched and grating. The laughter of the unhinged. The sands around it shifted to form more of its body around its host even as it cackled in sheer delight.

" **That BASTaRd gOt CAUght? HA! SerVES hiM RIGHt!** "

With a lightning fast slash of its tail, the orange haired genin was sent flying into the nearest tree.

He blinked.  _'Huh, I expected more.'_

Kabuto rocked back on his heals eyes drifting to the forest. It wouldn't be long before backup arrived. It would be difficult to get out of this predicament, but not entirely impossible. His master had many tricks, after all.

He glanced at Orochimaru again, but the man was still focused on the battle below. He sighed and settled back down to watch. He didn't understand. The kid was lucky if he was alive after that last blow and even if he did survive he wasn't going to be able to join this fight again.

_(We should just leave. This is just a passing interest, we shouldn't be risking so much for this.)_

He kept his eyes trained on the battle regardless. His master had told him to watch and listen, so he did.

Oh.

_Oh._

* * *

He clutched the seals within the hidden pocket of his vest.

He was running out of time.

No, he was already out of time.

He should have known.

He should have been more careful.

He should have never let them enter this exam.

"Kakashi!" He ignored the call of the other sensei. "Wait!"

He shouldn't have taken this team in the first place.

Obviously, something would go wrong.

Something always goes wrong.

It goes wrong, and someone dies.

And Kakashi is left to pick up the pieces.

_(Alone.)_

* * *

This was everything he didn't want to happen and more.

_(He deserved every second of it.)_

Kurama let out a soft breath and ignoring the sharp pain every movement brought. He couldn't move his left arm anymore. He couldn't even feel it. Kurama stared up at the branches of the tree above him, eyes not quite able to focus. He could hear Shukaku still chuckling over his realization, muttering incoherently about Kurama not being so big and bad now.

_(Why? Why did this have to happen? He worked so hard. He tried so hard to prevent something like this from happening. This wasn't what he wanted. He couldn't...he couldn't handle this. He was too weak and injured from his last couple of battles. He couldn't fight. Couldn't defend. Too pathetic. Too small.)_

He didn't even realize he was trembling until pain shot through him from the jostling of his wounds.

It was hard to breathe.

Kurama managed to push himself up to a semi-sitting position and tried to focus on what was happening around him.

But, he couldn't.

His vision was blurry, and darkness crept around the edges of his sight. And he still couldn't focus. His chest was burning. It felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest. He lifted a hand to clutch at his chest. It felt like his heart was trying to escape from his chest. His skin felt tight. It felt like a noose was tightening slowly around his neck. His hand went higher to scratch at his neck in hopes of relieving the pressure.

Then he heard his brother scream.

Kurama sucked in a sharp gasp of air and raised his head.

Naruto.  _(Stupid, brave, kind)_ Naruto had his leg caught by Shukaku's sand while trying to defend the other genin. He was twisting and shouting valiantly, but all it took was a slight tightening of sand and Kurama could hear the crack from where he was still slouched across the clearing.

_(No. What was he doing? He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't just sit here.)_

He took a breath, then another, and another.

Shukaku tossed Naruto away like a child throwing a broken toy and Kurama tracked his movement as he slowly got to his feet, wincing at every sharp pain that even the most minuscule of movements brought.

_(He couldn't move. Couldn't do anything. Too weak.)_

A flash of dark hair and furious red eyes leaped into view and caught the blond. Sasuke darted between attacks and practically tossed Naruto at Shikamaru before twisting back around and letting loose another burst of flames towards an oncoming attack.

The Uchiha was exhausted.

Kurama could tell. He could feel his fear. It was tangible, even under the weight of Shukaku rampaging emotions. He could feel all their fear; their horror; their pain. Kurama swayed.

_(He couldn't do anything.)_

He could barely stand.

Sasuke was thrown back landing closer to Kurama with a heavy thump and rush of expelled air.

He stared at the boy silently for a moment. Then he shifted his gaze over the huddled group of genin on the other side of the clearing. Then to Shikamaru trying to flee towards that group with Naruto slumped on his back.

Finally, he turned his gaze to his irate bijuu brother. He was terrifying in the red light cast by the barrier. All swirling sand and sharp teeth. He was slowly building his body around his host. Growing larger even as he still cackled wildly.

_(If he didn't do something then everyone here would die.)_

_(But, he couldn't do anything.)_

Except…maybe he could.

Shukaku was merely a shell of his former self, still trapped by the seal even as he squirmed and squeezed his consciousness into the physical world. If Kurama broke the seal within himself he'd be stronger. He could beat him and protect the other genin even at half his strength.

_(He didn't have to be so weak.)_

_(He could be free.)_

Kurama ignored the sudden pain that squeezed at his heart and the burning in his eyes. He pushed forward. Decision made.

By the time he made it to Sasuke, the boy had already pushed himself to a sitting position and was blinking dazedly at the world around him. Kurama fell to his knees, body, and heart still screaming in pain. He ignored them both, in favor of catching the Uchiha's attention.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, please listen to me! Things are probably going to get crazy after this. I don't know what's going to happen to me, but please. Promise me you'll protect Naruto. If I'm…If I can't…Please, just promise me you'll stay by his side. He needs someone…you both do. Promise me." His voice was hoarse and he struggled to get the words past the sudden lump in his throat.

He had to do this. This wasn't like before in the forest. He wasn't just doing this for himself. For his own image.

_(If they continued to fight Shukaku…)_

He took a breath, then another.

_(This was for them.)_

Shukaku had completely wrapped himself around his host's body and was slowly pilling on sand to make himself bigger. Likely trying to reach his former mass.

Kurama placed himself between his bijuu brother and the other genin.

"Shukaku!"

_Focus on me. Only on me. Ignore everyone else. Please. Please. Ignore them. Don't hurt them. Just focus on me. I'm the one who deserves all your ire._

"I am Kurama. Not a Jinchuuriki. It's me." He couldn't stand tall, nor shout the words defiantly. He probably looked like a pathetic mess of blood and bruises. But, golden eyes met his with the strange stillness that came with shock.

" **IMposSiBLE! YoU, YOU're** …"

_(Weak. Pathetic. Tired. And, incredibly human against his will.)_

Kurama winced. "It's true."

His chakra was sluggish, still trying frantically to heal his wounds, but he pulled on it and let it spread around him. His eyes burned as he glared into Shukaku's golden irises.

_Focus on me. Ignored them. Focus on me. Don't hurt them._

"I am the Kyuubi. I am the Nine-tailed Fox." He drew in another breath and cast his mind back to the words he knew Shukaku would remember, even after all these years. "Even if you are separated now, you will always be together and one day you will return to being one. Every one of you has a name and you have a different form from before…follow a rightful path search for what is the real strength and until that day…"

_(How long had it been since he thought about those words? How long had it been since he thought of Hagoromo at all?)_

Kurama gazed up solemnly at Shukaku. His dumbfounded expression would have been comical in any other situation.

" **YoU REAlly aRE** …"

Kurama glanced over his shoulder to see how the other genin were holding up.

He accidentally met wide blue eyes.

_(He shouldn't have looked over his shoulder.)_

He turned back, heart pounding wildly.

_(It hurt. Why did it hurt so much? Those eyes, full of fear. Full of uncertainty. Directed at him. He expected it, but it hurt.)_

"Sorry." He murmured under his breath and reach inside himself to  _yank_.

He felt his power swell for one beautiful moment…

Before something slammed into his back and it was all gone in an instant.

He sucked in a breath.

_Pain. Pain. PAIN._

Everyone cell in his body felt like it was on fire for a brief moment that seemed to last years. He heard himself screaming and felt his body jerked and twist involuntarily. Then everything went numb. He fell back. Limbs trembling and vision dimming.

The last thing he saw was a single conflicted grey eye before everything went dark.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neji is a pain in the butt to write. I didn't realize just how messed up his mentality was until I started trying to write it from his perspective. Damn kid. You need a hug. Unfortunately, you won't get one till later. And then there's poor, poor Natsuki. Will I ever stop torturing you? Who knows.
> 
> Also, I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm on Tumblr as Xejisss. I check and post there every day, so if you have questions or want to know how the next chapter is coming along that's the place for it. I'm horrid about the messaging on ff.net.
> 
> Also, also, a lot of people have asked about romance. To which my answer is…I dunno man. I hadn't really thought about it much. I'm not that great with writing romance. So, this fic will probably stay gen through the whole thing, but I'll let you guys know if I change my mind.
> 
> Shout out to sushinita over on tumblr, who made some awesome fanart with the twins and Sasuke, and to V01dSw0rd for helping me with this chapter and letting me rant about it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that Rasa (Gaara's father) didn't actually die until right before the final part of the chunin exam? Cause I had completely forgotten about that. I'm glad I learned that when looking up his name. That adds an interesting spin to future events in this story.
> 
> Chapter warning: Character death, suicide (not the main cast and its kind-of vague, but still.)

_"A path is something you create as you walk it. The ground you've trodden hardens, and that's what forms your path. You're the only one who can create your own path. Walk on your own. If you haven't given up yet, that is."_   
_Cross Marian ( D.Gray-man)_

* * *

Naruto woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling.

He felt odd. Half his body felt numb, but his head and stomach were all swirly like he had spent a lot of time on the spinning ride at the park. He blinked slowly at the ceiling as it faded in and out of focus.

It was an off-white color, streaked with sunlight. He turned his head to his right and found the sunlight came from a large window, partially covered by curtains. He also found another bed on his right containing Sasuke, unconscious and hooked up to an iv. Naruto watched his chest move up and down for a moment before his eyes drifted over the bandages peeking out from his hospital garb.

_(His mind was being extremely sluggish. He couldn't quite remember why they were here or why he felt so exhausted.)_

He turned his head to the left, half expected to find another bed.

But, there was none.

_(Memories rose up. Blood soaked sand. Fear. Pain. Watching helplessly as his brother, his already injured brother, throw himself in front of a monster and declared himself a worse one.)_

He tried to sit up, but pain forced him back onto his back only able to glare pitifully up at the ceiling.

"Ah, you're awake. I was starting to get a little worried, you've been out for several days."

Naruto blinked away the tears building up and tilted his head up to look at the new person in the room. He was a large man with long pale hair and vibrant clothing. He squinted at him, trying to recall ever seeing him before, but drawing a blank.

The man seemed to notice his confusion and scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh.

"Ah, yeah, I guess we haven't technically met before." He pulled up a chair and set down a take-out bag, Naruto belated recognized as Ichiraku's. "My name is Jiraiya. I just came back to the village. I'm a sealing specialist, so the Hokage asked me to look at your seal."

Naruto eyed him suspiciously.

"I brought ramen." The old man opened the container, revealing Naruto's favorite food in the entire world, and offered it to him with an awkward smile.

The scent made his stomach rumble, but Naruto tried to ignore it. Ramen didn't matter right now.

"Where's my brother?"

The old man's face did a weird little twitch before he grimaced and set the container back down on the side table.

"Did…you not hear? I know you fell unconscious very quickly after the Jounin arrived, but from what I was told, you were still awake when it happened. Most of the genin were, and everyone gave the same description of the events…even your Uchiha teammate before he collapsed from chakra exhaustion."

The was a pit in his stomach. He curled into himself, wrapping his arms around himself seeking warmth from the sudden chill that surrounded his heart.

_(The demon who looked like his brother had told him. He had told him the truth. But, Naruto didn't really accept it, until it came out of his own brother's mouth. He knew then, deep down in his bones, that Natsuki was telling the truth.)_

The old man started speaking in a gentle voice. "It was an outrageous claim. Everyone wanted to just chalk it up to a dangerous bluff to distract the One-tails, but…one of the Yamanaka clan members and I examined his mind and the seal and…well it seems to be the truth."

_(Naruto wanted him to stop talking. He wanted him to go away. But, there was a lump in his throat. He struggled to push the words past it.)_

"I'm sorry Naruto, I know this must be rough for you…I…well, I know a thing or two about betrayal. I know how much it can hurt…and, well, ah damn I'm not very good at this am I?"

Naruto sniffed and blinked up at the man through blurry eyes. Jiraiya sighed and reach over to ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Look, kid, it's going to be ok. The Kyuubi is locked away. It can't hurt anyone right now and we're working on a way to get it sealed up for good. I also checked your seal when you were asleep and you're doing perfectly fine, well, aside from your leg. Just…try to get some rest."

With that said the man practically fled the room.

" ** _You'll break him._** _"_

He let out a small hiccup and a sob soon followed, making it passed the lump in his throat when words couldn't. He scrubbed at his eyes roughly.

"If anyone is doing the breaking its Natsuki…no…the Kyuubi." He muttered softly and curled further into himself as his heart gave a little squeeze.

_(Why… why didn't he say anything? Was it wall just a lie? Just a trick?)_

He stayed like that for a long time, curled up on his side his breath coming out in hiccupped gasps. Tears and small sobs escaping despite his best efforts.

" _ **Then something changed. I'm still not quite sure what it was. I can see more of the world through him, but it still comes to me in fractured bits and pieces through the seal. I don't think it was one moment or event. He probably didn't even notice the slow build of emotions, until one day he had to face the fact that he cared about you."**_

Another hiccupped sob escaped him unwillingly.

"That's a lie, isn't it?" He took a shuttering breath and roll onto his back once more to stare at the ceiling. "If he cared he would have told me. He  _lied_. He…He was the monster…the demon the whole time. T-the one who killed our parents…"

" ** _You'll break him._** _"_

He glared at the ceiling as his hands curled into fists. "Why should I care? He's…he's the demon fox who killed our parents. He killed a lotta people…and…and this whole time he was trickin' me. Tricking everyone!"

He raised his hands to cover his mouth and scrubbed at the tears. He tried to stop the tears through sheer force of will but failed miserably as sobs escaped despite his best effort.

_(He remembered when they were young, Natsuki would wake up sobbing in the middle of the night. But, he didn't want to worry Naruto, so he covered his mouth to muffle the sobs. Naruto remembered the first time he woke up to find him like that. Shaking and wide-eyed. Muttering apologies for waking Naruto up. He was always doing that.)_

Naruto shoved himself into a sitting position despite the pain and tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed. One came easily, but the other sent needle-like tremors through his whole body. He sat there a moment panting harshly before looking down.

On his right leg, there was a weird metal brace starting from his thigh and ending right above his ankle. His leg under the brace was wrapped tightly in white bandages.

_(The sand was gritty under his hands. It shifted unnaturally and made him lose his balance, but he couldn't stop. He had to protect everyone. Had to hold off this monster so everyone could get away. The sand shifted. An eerie cackle. White hot pain.)_

He grimaced and glanced around for anything that would help.

_(He just needed to get out of the room, to move. He never did well sitting in one place. If he sat here, then he'd just cry more and remember more. He didn't want to do either.)_

Naruto shimmied over to the edge of the bed and swung his good foot to the floor. He placed his hands on the side table and slowly forced himself to stand, swinging his injured leg to the floor. He gritted his teeth through the pain, but he didn't give up.

_(The pain distracted him from his thoughts.)_

He managed to make it to his feet and shuffled himself along the wall to the door, practically dragging his injured leg. He made it out the door and down the hallway, despite having to pause regularly due to the pain, which made his vision fade in and out. He wasn't sure where he was going. He just needed to move.

"N-neji-san, please. You have to eat. I-I brought some food…a bento I made. It has your favorites…?"

He paused and glanced towards the half-opened door on his right.

Naruto didn't interact with Hinata much, but he could recognize distress when he saw it. He leaned to the side slightly and caught a glimpse of a boy sitting on the bed, pale eyes unfocused. He winced when he finally recognized him as one of the boys he and Sasuke pulled away from the monster's attack, the ones they met before the first part of the chunin exam.

He didn't look so good.

Well, physically he looked fine. But, there was something about his eyes and the way his shoulders were hitched that made Naruto shiver.

"I can assure you Hinata-sama I am fine. You do not need to waste your time fretting over me when you could be doing something more productive than making bento's for branch members."

"I-"

Naruto had never seen the girl so visibly frustrated. From what he remembered of her back at the academy she was always sweet-tempered though prone to embarrassment. She never showed that she had a temper like some of the other girls in their class. Now, she looked torn between chewing the other boy out or simply crying.

_(He could relate to that.)_

He frowned.

"Hey, she's just trying to help. No need to be rude." He called over, leaning further into the wall when his leg twinged painfully.

"N-Naruto-kun!" The girl practically shrieked, her faced turning crimson immediately as she spun around.

Naruto glanced at her in confusion for a moment, before focusing on the guy again. He looked ready to spit a kunai his way.

"This is a Hyuuga matter and none of your concern." He voice was crisped and cold, but his eyes burned.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Look, Hinata-chan was my classmate and you're being real rude even though she was just trying to help…"

"None of this is your problem and there is absolutely no point in sticking your nose into something that doesn't concern you." He repeated firmly before rounding on Hinata who flinched back. "There is no point in you, the Hyuuga Heiress concerning yourself over a simple branch family member. It's disgraceful."

"N-neji-san…" Now she looked like she was seriously going to cry.

Naruto scowled and shuffled closer until he was leaning against the doorframe. "Look. I don't get what your problem is, but she is just tryin' to help you. She looks really worried about you and you're just blowing her off. I don't understand, why can't you just be nice and talk to her, ya don't have to refuse help like that."

_(Why didn't_ _**he** _ _say anything? Why did_ _**he** _ _hold it all in? Was it really all just a trick? A lie?)_

"This is not your problem!"He snapped.

Naruto watched, blinking slowly as the burning emotions in the boy's eyes finally made it to his face breaking the blank mask into tiny pieces.

"I thought myself above my own fate and was proven wrong! I am nothing!"

There was such a fierce look of self-loathing on his face that Naruto almost shuffled back from the sheer weight of it.

_(How many times did he catch that look out of the corner of his eye on_ _**his** _ _face?)_

"That's not true." Hinata cried stepping forward. "Neji-san, you're amazing! Being a part of the main or branch family doesn't matter! You're a strong shinobi and an amazing Hyuuga!"

"If I was so amazing I wouldn't have been completely helpless in a battle. I wouldn't have had to be  _saved_   _twice._ I wouldn't be here! I strove to be above my station. I thought myself superior when I was merely a speck of dirt and I…"

_Slap._

Naruto wasn't sure who was more surprised. Naruto or Neji. But, there she stood hand still raised and eyes narrowed in as close to a glare as Naruto had ever seen from her.

"Don't." There were tears on her cheeks, and her voice trembled, but she forged onward. "Don't ever say that. You're my family. I…I know things aren't right but don't…please…don't ever think you're not worthy…"

She sobbed openly and wrapped her arms around herself before running from the room completely.

"I…" Naruto glanced at the now vacant looking boy and then back out in the hallway.

Maybe he shouldn't have interfered. He was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

"I was never kind to him." Neji murmured. "I told him every day that he was unworthy. That he would never achieve his dream because it was fate and no one could escape their fate."

Naruto's mind flashed back to the green-clad shinobi, Lee. He was so weird when they first met, but he was kind of cool in his own way. Naruto didn't know what had all happened when he was unconscious, but he must have been fighting, and from the way the two were position Lee must have protected Neji.

"He didn't have to protect me. He could have just left me. He should have just left me, but he didn't…he…he protected me even when even when it hurt himself…"

_(That's what he was always doing, wasn't he?)_

_(Even if it meant muffling his sobs in the middle of the night. He was always trying to protect. Always.)_

"I don't really understand…" Naruto shuffled closed and heaved himself into the seat beside the bed. Pale eyes glanced over at his leg and the boy seemed to curl into himself further. "Could you explain it?"

After a moment of hesitation, he did. Naruto listened without interrupting even when he wanted to scream and rage over the unfairness of what felt like the whole world.

_(How could someone do that to their brother; their twin?)_

When Neji finished, they sat there in silence for what felt like a century. Naruto knew he should say something. Anything. But, he struggled with the words.

"I don't get this whole fate thing. Actually, I get it, but I don't believe it." Naruto held up a hand to prevent a rebuttal. "I think that we decide our own fate. It doesn't matter what other people say or do. You're you. If someone tries to tell you that you're worthless…or a demon…then just throw it back in their face. Prove 'em wrong. That's what I'm going to do. I'll become Hokage! And prove everyone wrong. And you know what? I'll destroy that stupid tradition as well. No one should be chained like that, you know? I'll make sure of it, so hang in there and enjoy Hinata-chan's bento. Deal?"

_(First Sasuke, now this guy. He was making a lot of promises.)_

The boy didn't say anything. He just watched as Naruto heaved himself out of the chair and shuffled to the door. When he reached the doorway, the boy called out.

"Your name?"

Naruto looked back with a grin. It wasn't up to his usual standards, but he made an effort at least.

"I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. Future Hokage."

He received a small nod.

"Neji Hyuga."

It took some effort to shuffle down the hall. By the time he got back to his room he was too exhausted to do anything other than flop gracelessly onto the bed he woke up on. He stared up at the ceiling silently for a long moment. His thoughts tumbled around in his brain, tangling up into knots that made his head hurt as he tried to untangle them. Naruto wasn't used to not having anyone to talk too. Natsu was always there.

_(It felt like he was missing a piece of himself.)_

He stared up at the ceiling for a long while before rolling over to look at his unconscious teammate. The words spilled out before he could even attempt to control them.

"You know…right before we started the academy the Hokage asked us what our dreams were. I, of course, always wanted to be Hokage…but you know what Natsu said?" He felt a rueful smile tug at his lips. "He said  _'_ _I suppose I should become an Anbu guard if only to protect my doofus twin brother when he becomes the Hokage'_. He was tryin' to rile me up, and it worked. It should have been just a vague memory, you know? Something easily forgotten…but I never did. I didn't really know why that moment stuck out to me even after so many years. There was something about it. Something about the way he said it, you know…"

He rolled over and looked up at the ceiling once more. "I was thinking about it when I was listening to Neji. How he never got a choice. How he felt like a caged bird…you know. That time, that was the only time Nastu ever talked about any sort-of future dream. And…" He swallowed, his throat feeling dry all the sudden. "It wasn't even his dream, you know?  _'I suppose I should'…_ what does that even mean? It was supposed to be a joke, something to make me mad, but the more I think about it…it just sounds so terribly sad."

He raised his hands and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes until it hurt.

"He was always sayin' and doing things for me. To protect me." He took a shaky breath. "I…"

" ** _You'll break him._** _"_

His hands curled into fists.

"No, I won't."

* * *

He had been sitting in front of the memorial stone for so long, his eye had lost its focus and he could no longer read the names. Perhaps it was a good thing. Kurenai told him all the time that it was terribly unhealthy for him to continuously read over the names of the dead.

Kakashi sighed lowly and tilted his face up to glare at the sky.

_(It was too nice of a evening for a tragedy.)_

_(Then again, it always was.)_

Another name would be added to the list.

_(But, as much as it added to the numbness within him, that wasn't the reason he was here.)_

Avoidance.

That was all he seemed capable of doing. In everyday life, and especially when things went wrong.

And things definitely went wrong.

_(He didn't believe it at first…no, he didn't_ _**want** _ _to believe it at first.)_

He had a gut feeling something was off, but his mind had gone to Kyuubi influence not…the utter insanity that even Jiraiya, himself, confirmed. Kakashi lowered his gaze back to the stone and traced familiar names absently. What would his sensei say? How would he react?

It all felt like he was living in some fantasy world. Some nightmare-like reality.

_(Was it so much to ask for one tiny break? One moment in his life that wasn't tainted by tragedy and regret.)_

His childhood memories of his father were tainted by his suicide. His fond memories of his team were tainted by their deaths. And now the memories of the twins, of being a sensei, were tainted by…

He shook his head and slouched further into himself.

Why didn't he notice?

People claimed he was a genius among geniuses, but was he really? When he was so slow when things really counted?

"Are you really going to stay here all night? Kakashi, you need to go home. Get some rest."

Kakashi didn't even turn around. "I thought you were staying with Gai."

"Kurenai took over." Asuma plopped himself down behind Kakashi and leaned his back against him as he lit up a cigarette. "I'm on Kakashi duty now."

He huffed out a weak laugh despite himself.

"So, I heard your blond kid woke up. Nurses were all in a tizzy 'cause the little brat got out of bed and wandered around despite his leg injury."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "That sounds like Naruto."

_(He was so much like his mother it hurts. It hurts so much. To see her spirit in a boy that looked so much like his father.)_

"Yup, and now the brat is demanding to see his brother. He was so loud he managed to wake up your little Uchiha."

He flinched. "I thought Naruto…"

"Oh, he knows and apparently doesn't care."

Kakashi sighed. "What did you want, Asuma?"

"What? Is caring for a friend whose beating himself up over nothing not good enough?"

"Nothing?" Kakashi stood abruptly, forcing Asuma to catch himself before he fell onto his back in the grass. "One of my genin is the Kyuubi. The Kami-dammed beast that attacked our village and killed countless people and I…I never even noticed. I never once realized that he was anything more than a semi-normal kid with rampant nightmares."

Asuma looked at him silently for a moment. His dark eyes unreadable. Then he blew out a breath of toxic smoke and sighed deeply.

"You know, Kakashi, I think that says more about  _him_  than it does about you."

* * *

Sasuke stared at a small spot on the opposite wall. Something must have hit the wall there because there was a small dent and the paint was peeling slightly.

"We can't just leave him locked up! He's not a criminal! He didn't do anything wrong!"

"Did you forget about what it did to the village all those years ago? All those people killed when the Kyuubi attacked us?" The white-haired sage snapped back.

"He's my brother I know-"

"He's a demon!" The man roared. "He was never your brother. Just a mistake of a faulty seal."

Naruto flinched back. The older man slumped.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice."

"But, you're not sorry about what you said," Naruto muttered back.

"Because it's true." The man replied tiredly.

Like most genin his age he had grown up with tales about the Sannin. It was strange to compare those stories to the real thing. Disappointing really.

"He's my brother." Naruto jutted his chin out and folded his bandaged hands over his chest.

The sage threw his hands in the air. He turned to Kakashi-sensei first, but the man was staring out the window from his position wedged in the corner of the room before turning the Sasuke. He felt himself straighten under the weight of the man's gaze automatically.

"You tell him, boy. I'm obviously not going to get a word through that thick skull of his." Sasuke blinked at him slowly his mind sluggishly trying to figure what he was expected to say. The man sighed. "Beside me, you're the one with experience with traitors in this room. Tell him that's there's no point in wanting to save a traitor."

Natsuki was like Itachi?

_(No, the Kyuubi was like Itachi…but that didn't make sense either because he know knew that Natsuki was the Kyuubi. And the very thought of putting Natsuki in the same category as Itachi in his mind was sickening.)_

He glanced at Naruto. He watched as blue eyes turn to him, lip trembling and eye's welling with tears and in a terrifying moment he realized what he said next could very well break the boy. He looked down at his hands.

They were trembling.

His vision blurred and for a moment he was back in the forest in the middle of that battle.

_A hand covered his own. It was slightly smaller than his and covered in dirt and blood. There was a nasty scrape on the back of the hand and the pinky finger looked like it was broken. His eyes followed the length of the arm up towards the face of the person next to him. Natsuki was telling him something. It looked like it was important, but his ears were buzzing, and it was hard to focus._

" _Sasuke! Sasuke, please listen to me! Things are probably going to get crazy after this. I don't know what's going to happen to me, but please. Promise me you'll protect Naruto. If I'm…If I can't…" Were those tears? He had never seen Natsuki cry. "Please, just promise me you'll stay by his side. He needs someone…you both do. Promise me."_

He didn't give Sasuke enough time to reply. Then again, there was barely enough time to talk during that battle. And he doubted he could have formulated a response anyway since he had so much trouble focusing on the words in the first place. The sharingan was likely the only reason he could remember them now with such clarity.

He glanced up at the occupants of the room. The sage was looking at him expectantly. His sensei was still staring resolutely out the window. The man hadn't said a word since he slipped in and positioned himself in that corner. And Naruto….

Naruto was looking down at his blanketed legs. His hands were in his lap, fingers clenched tightly enough to make his knuckles white and his hand trembled.

" _Promise me you'll protect Naruto…Please, just promise me you'll stay by his side."_

For days, weeks and even years after Itachi's betrayal, he had been told how surprised everyone was at the sudden action. Everyone had positive things to say about him before the massacre. No one expected, perfect Itachi to snap like that. Everyone thought he was loyal.

But…

Natsuki…Natsuki was Natsuki.

He was one of the most frustrating people he had ever met. The orange haired boy smirk and made sly comments that drove him insane. For most of their lives, he had avoided eye contact with Sasuke and matched him at every turn aside from ninjutsu. Even then, he had found out belatedly, after becoming genin, the other boy was skillful at higher-level jutsus and had much more chakra than he did.

More often than not Sasuke had no idea what the other boy was thinking. He often went into long bouts of silences, eyes distant. It was a hassle to get even the simplest of confessions out of him, making Sasuke wonder why he even bothered at times.

But…

He had defended them from Orochimaru when they were outclassed. He had taken an attack meant for Sasuke without hesitation.

He had stood between them and certain death when the One-tailed went berserk.

Natsuki had looked so small standing between them and the giant One-tailed beast. Torn clothing reveal cuts and bruises. His left shoulder dislocated and hanging limply at his side. There was an exhausted slump to his stance and he had to visibly force himself to stand tall.

_(How could anyone compare him to Itachi?)_

"Natsuki…" He started still unsure of what he was going to say. He glanced at his sensei. His image overlapped with another similar one back in Sasuke's apartment, before everything went to hell, and he suddenly understood. "Natsuki is Natsuki. He is my teammate and Naruto's brother. And…on this team we don't abandon our teammates."

He tried to ignore the sudden blinding grin he received from Naruto, but it was hard to ignore the first true smile, from a usually happy person. He hadn't seen a hint of it since he woke up yesterday evening. Sasuke swallowed and turned his gaze to the Sannin. The man's face was twisted wavering between disappointment and disbelief. He turned to Kakashi again.

"Kakashi tell these  _children_  that they're being foolish!"

"If being realistic means abandoning my brother, then I'd rather be foolish!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke, however, was staring at Kakashi. He wasn't done. He had to…he had to convince someone. "You keep talking about rules and traitors, but isn't that just a cover to hide your own mistakes?"

"I'm trying to protect you two from experiencing the same disappointment that I did!" The Sanin snapped back.

"No! You're only protecting yourself!" He was trembling, and his voice shook, but he forced himself to continue. "You're trying to project your own mistakes onto us and our situation in order to justify your own actions! You're telling us to give up. Telling us that Natsuki is a traitor! That he's just like Orochimaru and Itachi! But, you don't even know him! Did you ever bother trying to talk to him? You didn't! No one did! You just locked him away and are now trying to convince us that he's a traitor when He's the one who protected us! He's the one that stood up to the monster and saved our lives! HOW DOES THAT MAKE HIM A TRAITOR!? IS PROTECTING PEOPLE NOW COMPARABLE TO A GENOCIDE?"

He cut himself off panting before he continued in a quieter voice. "You say he's like Itachi, but you have no idea who Natsuki is. You say he's a monster. But, his last words to me were to protect Naruto. His last actions were to protect all the other genin. How could you compare that to the man who murdered my entire clan? How  _dare_  you."

His sensei didn't even twitch. He closed his eyes, unable to continue, but Naruto was there immediately to pick up where he left off.

"Natsuki cared for everyone! He always tried to protect me, and he never once did something horrible to anyone, even the people who insulted us! Would a monster be able to take the abuse we did? Without lashing out!"

"He's the Kyuubi, Naruto." The Sannin replied looking unforgivably sad. "He's the reason your parents are dead…"

"He's also the reason I didn't grow up alone," Naruto replied stubbornly. "There must be a reason for attacking the village. I just know it!"

"He attacked the first Hokage because he was being controlled by Madara Uchiha." Sasuke butted in, his mind whirling back to the stories, the legends, and the whispers. "What if something similar happened back then? Natsuki and Naruto never lost control without something major happening and they never actually fully released the...well Kyuubi. Even the One-tails wasn't fully released from Gaara, was he? That's what  _you_ told us. So, why was he released back then? There must have been a reason…"

"Yeah! Natsuki said he was afraid of the sharingan!"

"You idiots are not getting the point…" The Sannin growled.

"That's enough Jiraiya-sensei." Kakashi-sensei finally spoke, turning his head towards them. There was an emotion he didn't quite understand in his eye.

"Kakashi! Thank goodness! Tell them-"

He was cut off by Kakashi-sensei. "No, they won't be convinced. Trust me, I know my students."

The man pushed himself away from the wall and looked fondly over Naruto and Sasuke.

"I'm the one who taught them to stick together, to never abandon one another…and frankly I think it's about time I lived up to my own teachings."

* * *

The paperwork was stacking up on his desk. There were so many things he needed to do. Some many people he needed to talk too. He would have to call some meetings to go over and update everyone on the current situation with the failed invasion from their supposed allies, the escape of Orochimaru, and a certain not-jinchuuriki child currently locked away.

_(Purple eyes lingered in the back of his mind. So empty and dull compared to their usually expressive nature.)_

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling the toxic smoke from his pipe with unusual aggression.

All of that could wait.

He was tired.

_(A bone-deep ache. One that had nothing to do with his age.)_

Hiruzen breathed out slowly. Watching the smoke as it lazily drifted towards the ceiling.

So, many things had spiraled out of control in the past several years he didn't even know where to begin fixing anything, anymore. He was losing his grip, no, he had lost it a long time ago. He was just too stubborn to admit it. He should have picked another successor, even if his best options were either dead or adamantly opposed to it. He sighed softly.

At least the children were safe.

Injured and likely traumatized, but alive.

Including the Kazekage's children, the youngest safely sealed by Jiraiya. He'd have to make a decision about them soon. Hiruzen glanced back down at his desk at the report he just received.

_(He didn't agree with Rasa on many things, but the man was dedicated to his village.)_

He was certain, now that the man's plan with Orochimaru had fallen through, that he'd do anything to maintain the peace between the two villages. Especially since Konoha now had his three children as political prisoners.

Hiruzen turned his chair to face the window, tracing his gaze over the buildings. It was late, but there was still movement on the streets and the roofs as general citizens and shinobi alike went on with their lives. Most only still vaguely aware of what had almost occurred in their home.

He took another deep breath from the pipe.

A knock on his door forced him to leave his thoughts. He didn't turn around even as the door opened and a familiar presence slipped into the room.

"Danzo, I think the both of us are too old to be up so late at night."

He received a dry chuckle in return.

"Perhaps, but the village does not run itself."

"Hmph, I wish it did."

They both laughed at that, before falling into silence once more.

He had already noticed the different guards at shift exchange.

"Danzo…" He sighed deeply and stood to move closer to the window, all while still not facing the other man.

"Your ideals are ruining Konoha."

"The invasion was prevented…"

"You're planning on making peace with them again? They tried to invade us, and you want to  _talk_  to them and work out a  _compromise_. And that's not even mentioning how Orochimaru managed to get away  _again_."

He closed his eyes.

"What would you have me do? Go to war? Again, Danzo? To put our people through that hell again?"

"Suna is weak. We could decimate them easily and prove Konoha's strength once more to our enemies."

Hiruzen opened his eyes again and looked over the city once more. It had grown so much since his childhood. It was a beautiful village. A perfect melding of forest and buildings. He stared silently until his vision started to blur.

He hadn't noticed a change in taste in his tobacco, but that didn't necessarily mean much to those skill with poisons.

The knife was expected, but he sucked in a sharp breath anyway.

He turned finally, but not to look and Danzo who still stood proudly across the room. No, he wanted to look into the eyes of the poor child he failed.

_(He told himself it was for the good of the village when he ignored the missing children and Danzo's increasingly cruel nature. He told himself that it was better this way, when he noticed the dead-eyed look in many of the anbu he knew were under Danzo's control.)_

The child was barely in his teens. Maybe a year or two older than the current batch of genin. Yet, he wore the armor and tattoo of an anbu.

The boy's eyes were as blank as his expression.

He sighed deeply as he stumbled back against the window and slid to the floor.

Another failure to add to the list. 

* * *

His name was Asuka. He didn't know his last name. He didn't even know if Asuka was his birth name. He couldn't remember his parents or whether he had a family at all.

All he knew was Root.

The Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, died with soft apologies spilling from his lips.

The image stirred something in his heart, a distant memory perhaps, of a wrinkled hand in his hair and a proud smile on an old woman's face.

The memory was squashed immediately as he was taught to do.

Danzo-sama didn't dismiss him.

His mission wasn't over yet.

Asuka turned and disappeared out the window, careful not to let himself be seen by the shinobi still traversing the rooftops this late at night.

The light of the nearly full moon guided him to his apartment complex.

He slid into his window without trouble. It was a tiny apartment, only one room, that didn't see much use. It wasn't home. He didn't have a home.

He took off his gear carefully and laid them out for his shift the next day. He changed mechanically into his sleeping clothes before padding over to the kitchenette and pouring himself a glass of water using the only cup in his cabinets.

The poison was tasteless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, there we go. Another one done, and in a reasonable amount of time. Yay.
> 
> Fun fact. I've had Sasuke's pov written since the beginning of Wave ark, with very little change. It was about that time that I had decided on an ending for the chunin exam and started adding in some hints into the chapters about what would happen to Natsuki/Kurama. I was worried that some of them would be a bit too obvious, but no one has brought it up yet, so I was probably worried over nothing. I get the feeling a lot of you will pick up on it this chapter though. Lol
> 
> Also, guys chill. I said that this fic will probably stay gen then whole time. So, no romance, unless I change my mind. Which frankly, isn't likely. No need to freak out over it.


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